Trip to Denver
by lostcowgirl
Summary: Little did Matt suspect that a relapse with his arm after returning to work following season 19's The Disciple while investigating a series of saloon takeovers would lead to a nightmare. All he'd wanted was a bit of a vacation with Kitty to offset having to testify in court not attempted murders and dire consequences. This is a prequel to Die a Little, Live a Lot.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 – Right Here in Dodge City**

Matt Dillon sat behind his desk crumpling page after page and tossing it in the wastebasket. He'd been trying so hard to sum up what little he had on the rash of questionable, sometimes violent, takeovers of successful saloons throughout western Kansas and eastern Colorado that his arm was beginning to ache and he was having trouble holding his pencil. Here it was July, nearly three months since his gun arm was shot up. He thought he'd turned the corner and was making real progress at regaining full strength and flexibility, but the pain told him he was fooling himself.

Matt stood up, too frustrated to concentrate on formulating his thoughts on the investigation he'd been pursuing since his return to Dodge and work into a coherent whole. He tried to throw the pencil across the room, but it dropped from his fingers not three feet from his desk. He stormed toward the door, grabbed his hat, stuck it on his head and reached for the door handle in one semi-fluid motion with his left hand just as Festus Haggen opened it. The two men nearly collided.

"Matthew, whar's the angry bull got off to? Or is somethin' even meaner chasin' ya?"

"Sorry, Festus. I've wasted too much time trying to make sense out of those saloon takeovers. I need to get on with the rest of my job, if I still can."

The deputy stood in the doorway and watched his boss and friend stomp down the boardwalk toward the Long Branch then turned into the room to check on the coffee. The pot was cold and empty and no fire burned in the stove. He set about to remedy the situation so that even if Matt took his time returning at least some attempt would have been made at providing fresh coffee before it got too hot for anyone to want to drink it. If the marshal didn't return by the time the coffee was ready, Festus would drink a cup and join Matt and Miss Kitty at the Long Branch with hopes of a free beer or, if he was lucky, whiskey.

Had Festus watched a bit longer he would have seen Matt stride past the saloon after a brief glance over the batwing doors and make his way toward the stairs leading to Doc Adams' office door. The big man deliberately slowed his pace as he climbed those stairs, somehow dreading what the doctor might tell him. Maybe it really is time to retire he thought as he reached the landing and knocked on the door.

"Come on in Matt. It's open."

The lawman walked toward the seat the doctor indicated, but almost turned to leave before reaching it because the physician wasn't alone. A certain redheaded saloonkeeper was there with him and it was obvious they'd been in deep conversation until his knock. He might have left, had the doctor and woman not both given him one of those looks that told him he'd better not try to leave.

"You can't hide what's bothering you from your personal physician. I can see you flexing your hand and arm. I'll just have a look at how your recovery's coming along while I've got you here. Kitty might as well stay. She'll find out everything anyway."

Doc probed and prodded the offending right arm and hand while keeping a sharp eye on his friend's countenance. He pulled on his ear and ran his hand across his mustache before speaking.

"Matt, what have you been doing? You've managed to undo at least half of the progress you've made with that arm since you returned home. The good news is the recent damage isn't permanent, at least not yet. You're through working for today and depending on what I find after you partake of my prescription, maybe for one or two days more."

"Doc, I can't just leave things now. I need to sort out what I've learned about all those saloon takeovers. I'm expected to put a stop to it, but I can't unless I can figure out exactly what they're doing, who's behind it and why."

"If you don't want to lose the use of that arm for a month while I put it in a plaster cast, you'll take it easy on it for the next day or two. The government can wait that long for your report, Mr. Marshal. Now here's what you're gonna do. You'll avoid all fine movement with that arm and hand by going fishing with Kitty and catching nothing. She can take over if you get a nibble. As to getting those takeovers sorted out, talk it over with Kitty."

Matt knew when he was licked. Kitty had no problem backing up Doc. She agreed to provide breakfast in her rooms where he could eat with his left hand without anyone knowing. Meanwhile the wily old physician and Festus would gather up all they'd need. A buggy packed with fishing gear and a picnic basket would be waiting for them behind the Long Branch. If they took the back way out nobody would know that Kitty was driving and Matt's right arm was back in a sling.

Dodge City had grown so much over the years that it was impossible to find a private spot along the Arkansas. Even the pond west of town might attract too many unwanted visitors. They decided on Saw Log Creek where it bordered on the farm Will Stambridge had bought in case Kitty had said yes but on the edge that was closest to town. Stambridge hadn't sold it, so people from town tended to keep mostly away, probably from embarrassment at the way they'd treated him for daring to court the marshal's woman.

Unbeknownst to Matt and Kitty Festus had followed on his mule Ruth at a discreet distance. Once he saw the couple stop, he hightailed it back to get Doc. Leaving Newly to watch over the town, Festus and Doc drove out to their own place along the stream where they could keep out of sight of the marshal and his woman yet still keep an eye on them and get in some fishing of their own. Doc was sure Kitty would keep Matt from ignoring the prescription, but it wouldn't hurt to get in his own bit of relaxation even if it meant spending the day with Festus, which he secretly enjoyed.


	2. Chapter 2 - Picnics and Thoughts

**Chapter 2 – Picnics and Thoughts**

Matt did what he could one-handed to help Kitty. From his point of view she was doing more than her fair share, but at least they had the horse unhitched, a blanket spread out on the ground in the shade of a copse of trees with the picnic basket on it and the fishing gear stashed between two large rocks by the stream. There was even some wine cooling in the rushing waters of the creek.

Although their lunch would be private, the fishing spot in front of it was relatively open by comparison. It consisted of a couple of well-shaped rocks that were just close enough together that they could easily lean into one another yet far enough apart that the rods and bait could be anchored between them. A large tree directly behind the rocks provided all the shade they could want from the early July sun. It didn't matter that the trees on the farther bank came right down to the shoreline effectively hiding anyone who might be lurking opposite them.

Since it was still too early to eat and it would take at least an hour for their beverage to chill enough to make drinking it worthwhile, the two decided to spend the time fishing. They made themselves comfortable, their lines dangling into the water and their legs straight out in front of them, with Matt stretched out on Kitty's right so he could wedge the fishing pole in the crevice between their two back rests if he had a mind to let his left arm drape across her shoulders.

By the time Doc and Festus had settled themselves across the water in a spot at a slight bend that allowed the two men a clear view of the couple fishing without that very couple knowing they were being watched, Matt had his arm around Kitty, who had both of hers on her pole. It was a good thing too because a good-sized catfish had decided the worm on her hook was just the thing and she had all she could do to try and reel it in. Doc and Festus smiled at the sight, each for his own reasons.

Soon all four were busy catching fish. Matt and Kitty worked out a system whereby he'd leave his strong left arm around her shoulder to provide an extra anchor and she'd put her soft right hand over his left when his line, anchored in its crevice, jerked. By the time they'd landed four fish, which they left dangling in the rapidly moving water, they were ready to eat. Matt grabbed the bottle from the water with his good hand and, while hanging on to it, wrapped that arm around Kitty's waist. She, in turn, did the same with her right arm, but without a bottle. Thus entwined, they ambled back to the blanket and their picnic lunch. The observers across the way continued to fish, but Doc strained to see what Matt might be doing with his right arm and hand.

He needn't have worried. The loss of strength and agility earlier in the morning had put a scare in the big lawman. He was determined to follow Doc's instructions even if Kitty weren't prepared to see that he did. A day or so of complete rest for his gun arm followed by Doc's exercise routine for restoring that arm to as close to full use as possible while avoiding over use of the muscles seemed a prudent course since Matt had no idea what he'd do if forced to retire. Eating with his left hand wasn't as awkward as when he'd first taken the bullet that might have permanently crippled his right arm, but it wasn't as comfortable as with his right. Kitty had thoughtfully provided food that didn't require a knife to cut it, although she did slice his piece of apple pie for him.

Satiated from their meal, they lay back contentedly on the blanket snuggled up against each other. They might have drifted off to sleep had Kitty not taken out a pad and pencil so she could jot down notes as Matt talked about the investigation that had caused his relapse in the first place. That wasn't entirely true, he had spent far too many hours practicing drawing, aiming and firing his six-gun in an effort to restore his skill to its previous level sooner rather than later.

"Start talking, Cowboy. Which saloon in which town came first?"

"That would be the Whistle Stop in Wichita. It's also the farthest east. The takeover pattern followed there was repeated in each of the county seats, although they seemed to follow a similar pattern heading eastward in Colorado."

The pattern that emerged as Matt talked was a case of towns north and south of Dodge being hit as the gang moved both east from Fort Collins and Cannon City in Colorado and west from Wichita and Salina in Kansas almost simultaneously. In each town the two or three men chose the classiest saloon there and used the owner's weaknesses and vulnerabilities to put pressure on him or them to sell out. Once the sale was complete, the former owners were found dead in an alley or so beat up they might as well have been dead. Until now Matt had talked to lawmen, survivors and other witnesses to the takeovers after the fact. He hoped he was right in believing Garden City was next and that his arm would allow him to get there before the takeover was finalized. He planned to hide the fact he was the US Marshal when he rode in there with a carefully assumed persona and maybe worm his way into the confidence of whatever members of the gang were there.

Kitty had filled three pages of the pad with detailed descriptions and put check marks next to each similarity to highlight the pattern that Matt now saw when they heard the rattle of a buggy's wheels and the clip clop of a mule's hoofs. Before the source of those sounds came into view, they heard the two men associated with each bickering. Sure enough, it was Doc and Festus.

"Oh, did we disturb you two? We were fishing nearby and thought we saw you."

"Doc, you're not a very good liar. You and Festus were spying on us and got worried I'd done something foolish when you didn't see us for more than an hour. If you don't believe me, maybe you'll believe Kitty. I've kept my arm in the sling the whole time. She's been helping me organize my report."

Not long after Doc and Festus' arrival, the four friends headed home although the travel arrangements didn't quite suit either Matt or Kitty. Doc insisted Matt ride back with him while Festus drove Kitty home with Ruth tied to the back of the buggy. Once they reached Dodge, Doc parked his buggy in the alley so he and Matt could dart up the stairs to the physician's office. Kitty followed as soon as Festus helped her down from their buggy before he drove it on to Hank's stable.

Doc had Matt run through a series of movements with his arm before sending him and Kitty up the back stairs of the Long Branch with his arm back in the sling. He and Festus then cleaned and cooked the fish so the four of them could eat dinner around the table in her rooms away from prying eyes. Matt was left alone upstairs to run through the exercises Doc had shown him earlier before returning his arm again to the sling. They consisted of a series of slow, gentle bends of the elbow, lifting of the arm above his shoulder and half turns of the wrist in each direction followed by wriggling his fingers one at a time and then together as he opened and closed his fist. He was to do this ten times or less, if he felt any twinges. This routine was to be repeated before bed, but he was to stop completely at the least sign of pain, weakness or decreased agility. When he finished he was to leave his arm out of the sling for an hour but not do anything but let it hang loosely at his side or rest on a table or arm of a chair.

Matt had become bored while waiting for Kitty to finally return from downstairs to join him for the night. He'd even started reading a book of poems by Walt Whitman he'd found to relieve the growing boredom. She helped him prepare for bed and watched as he completed his exercises for the least sign that he was hiding anything. She was satisfied, so much so that she put the sling on the table on her side of the bed. Doc had told her that he didn't need to wear it if he had no sign of discomfort or loss of agility until the next morning.


	3. Chapter 3 - Garden City Revelations

**Chapter 3 – Garden City Revelations**

In the week that passed since Doc first placed Matt's right arm back in a sling the arm gradually returned almost to the point where it had been before the setback. Toward the end of that week Doc even allowed him to spend five minutes repeating the motions needed to draw and fire the pistol at his hip twice a day. Yesterday, he could actually add the weight of the gun to the second round for the last four or five repetitions. Doc still wanted him to stay away from actually firing off any rounds. The other major change was he now wore the sling only while he slept and for an hour or so during the day when he was alone or with Kitty.

It was time for his trip to Garden City. There was a train that left at one, which would get him to his destination in time for a late supper and an evening of observation in the best saloon before bed. Matt settled in his seat, his gun belt hidden under his coat and his badge under his change of clothes in his carpetbag. He looked every inch the prosperous rancher looking for a way to earn even more legally or illegally.

Matt was quite familiar with the town because his duty had brought him there more than once, but he wanted to avoid those he knew, particularly Sheriff Will Johnston. He was a good lawman, but not in any way imaginative. He wouldn't be able to keep himself from blurting out who Matt was because he couldn't see the point of the deception or see anything developing. Johnston was a man who only saw the results and even then, if the person responsible weren't obvious, he'd call in Matt. There would be no chance of remaining incognito.

He was in luck. Johnston's new deputy, Greg Windom, was in the hotel when Matt checked in as Matt Kimbro, cattleman. The deputy showed considerable interest in who this stranger was and what his business was in Garden City. Matt told him the story he'd worked out with the governor and state attorney general that he was a small, but successful rancher originally from Nebraska but now living 50 miles northeast of Garden City near the Hoagman County border for the past month and offered to buy him a drink if they met again in whichever was the best saloon in town.

Matt had avoided the regular clerk, who knew him, and asked the substitute where he might find the best supper in town after he freshened up a bit in his room. Deputy Windom saw him sitting alone and asked if he might join him at the table. The disguised marshal could tell the deputy was still suspicious. To his way of thinking, this was a good sign and Matt needed a reliable ally.

"You're welcome to join me, Deputy. It sure beats eating alone."

"I thank you, but bein' polite ain't gonna keep me from thinkin' you ain't who you claim to be. Somethin' just don't feel right about you. You wanna tell me who you really are or should I lock you up until I can verify it? Sheriff Johnston may not think so, but I think somethin' bad's about to go down and you just might be part of it. Until he gets back, I'm in charge, so I'm gonna play my hunch; it's talk or jail."

"I prefer talk and you're right. Matt Kimbro's not my name and I don't live anywhere in your county or in Hoagman County either. I'm the US Marshal out of Dodge, Matt Dillon. I suggest you wire my office there, or better yet, the Attorney General in Topeka for a description and to verify I'm here because of the series of saloon takeovers. You can tell me just what you suspect after you confirm my identity. Meanwhile, I'll be learning whatever I can."

Taking advantage of the privacy afforded by the position of their table and the nearly empty café, the two lawmen laid down their plans. The task completed, they departed, walking their separate ways, but not before Windom made it known to the two drifters within hearing distance that Kimbro had better watch his step if he didn't want to wind up in jail. Matt watched from under the brim of his Stetson as one of the drifters wandered back toward the hotel and the other preceded the marshal into the Winding Road, the best saloon in Garden City.

Matt found himself seated at a table with a dark-haired man dressed like a western businessman like himself, but in a clearly custom tailored suit and hand-made boots. The drifter stood not far away watching them as he leaned on the bar.

"I haven't decided if you're for real or not, Kimbro. The deputy, who's a lot smarter than his boss, isn't quite convinced of your story either. It's my understanding you're interested in obtaining a large sum of money and power in a relatively short time. Am I correct?"

"You might be," Matt replied. "What do you think might interest me?"

"I'm betting you wouldn't mind controlling a saloon like this in order to be part of controling a whole town. This town's locked up, but if the right people check you out and find nothing that would rule you out, we can set you up in your own town. I'd suggest Ballard, but Papa Stiefer would be unhappy if his town was stolen just before he got out of prison. No, I think maybe Pueblo. It's a larger town that a big Kansan like you could handle and you wouldn't be known there."

Matt nodded his head to indicate he'd be interested in further details. The man described the general takeover in Garden City and said it would be similar in Pueblo. If he checked out, Matt would be given a couple of drifters or more to scope out the town as to who owned the best saloon. Then it would be his job to travel there and put pressure on that owner to hand over ownership. The shape the pressure took, would be up to him. Then all necessary steps to secure the takeover would be taken.

As the man talked, Matt wasn't surprised to find the other drifter returning. He was carrying Matt's carpetbag, which he handed to the lawman. The disguised lawman was glad he'd thought to hide his badge between the sheet and the mattress in his hotel room, substituting the deed to his supposed ranch north and west of the town along with papers showing he owed back taxes for the badge in the bag. The governor's men had been very thorough in complying with Washington's instructions. Only Matt knew he was working in close connection with the District Attorney in Denver as well to uncover the full scope of the plot and dismantle it.

Playing the part to the hilt, the big man was objecting to the intrusion into his room and rifling of his belongings when he felt something at his back. It wasn't exactly a surprise since he'd caught the other drifter's movement toward him out of the corner of his eye. His verbal objections changed to a right fist into the jaw of the drifter who'd handed him his carpetbag and a simultaneous left elbow into the second drifter's stomach to dislodge the gun from his hand. Matt soon tossed the table over into the businessman he'd been talking with sending him sprawling. It was then that the deputy entered.

"All right, Mister," Deputy Windom said. "I'll just take that gun from you before you stand up and come with me to the jail. It seems you obtained your ranch by promising to pay the taxes for the old widow who owned it in exchange for a share of the business and the deed to the house. You paid her taxes all right, but then threw her out, leaving her homeless and penniless. After she died, you were free and clear, but the money you'd hoped she hid never showed and after a year you owed taxes on it. If I could, I'd charge you with murder, but I can't. As far as the law is concerned you did nothing wrong. However, I can toss you in a cell for starting a public brawl."

Once they were inside the jailhouse, Matt and Greg Windom sat down for their chat. They both sat in the first cell in the back in case there were any prying eyes and talked softly. The marshal quickly filled the local deputy in on what he'd learned and hoped to yet find out after his release from the cell early the next morning. Once he left for home or his part in the scheme, Windom and Sheriff Johnston could arrest the three in Garden City on charges of extortion.

The deputy, for his part, not only verified Matt's identity and mission, he also sent a wire to the man in Imperial who was designated as the contact for all official inquiries into the activities of one Matt Kimbro. The small town was the closest to the location of the ranch Matt supposedly owned and the contact was both the proprietor of the land office and mayor, who happened to be Harry Bodkin's nephew. The young man had met the Marshal of Dodge on a trip to visit his banker uncle's family with his father and was so impressed with the lawman that he'd be willing to do anything to help him. Until Matt explained that to Windom, the deputy was hard put to understand how they could be so sure Matt's cover story would hold.

The next morning, as Matt made his way from the jail to the café across the street for breakfast, the businessman from the previous evening fell into step with him. The two men walked into the restaurant and took a table.

"Do you still think you could use me, Price?" Matt asked as soon as the waiter left with their order.

"My superior is still thinking on it. He thinks you should go home until the time comes for his representative to contact you," Gordon Price replied. "No need for you to do anything special, he'll know where to find you. Just wait for a man to come up to you and let you know he just rode in from Colorado. For the most part, we don't let Kansas men handle things in Kansas or those from Colorado handle things there. It's better that way. When a man's a stranger he's more likely to check out the territory more thoroughly."

Matt was alert. Something didn't feel right. Even so, getting on the train toward Dodge instead of to Imperial as they expected would allow him to check to see Kitty was still safe. He dreaded what might happen if they were already implementing the same scheme with the Long Branch. He boarded the train, his sharp eye assessing every one of his fellow passengers. As the train pulled out, he fingered his badge, which was now in his shirt pocket ready for him to pin it back on. He also arranged his jacket so he could easily reach his pistol if the need arose. The last thing he saw as the train pulled out of the station was Windom arresting the three men, who would be escorted to Denver by Denver detectives.


	4. Chapter 4 - In the Eye of the Beholder

**Chapter 4 – Perceptions are in the Eye of the Beholder**

Kitty Russell missed Matt Dillon, but it was only a couple of days, far too soon for him to have accomplished anything in Garden City. Besides, she knew he wouldn't risk revealing his real identity to by telegraphing her in case he was being watched. That didn't mean she wasn't worried. She hoped he was keeping up his exercises so his gun arm would be ready if needed. She shook her head as if to clear it of her gloomy thoughts and surveyed the barroom.

The same man, who'd introduced himself as a cattle buyer the day Matt left, was back at what he'd obviously come to look upon as his table. Milt Wiltsher was no mere cattle buyer. Kitty was sure of it, but, as any good businesswoman would do, she came over when he indicated he wanted to replace his bottle and add more glasses. She brought over the requested items just as two men who were nobody if they weren't gunmen joined him.

Wiltsher grabbed her arm as she started to walk away with the now empty tray. As he gave her that look she'd seen far too many times, he indicated she should sit down in the one remaining chair, which happened to be next to his. She tried to pull away, but that only caused him to increase his pressure on her arm and hand so as to bend her wrist back. She sat.

"That's good Red. I don't want to hurt you unless I have to so be a good girl and listen. When I'm done talkin' you can get back to servin' your other customers to keep your boss happy. Speakin' of your boss, tell that scruffy deputy marshal he'll start havin' trouble runnin' this saloon if he doesn't start to see things my way, startin' with admittin' he's the real owner and you're just the fluff to draw customers."

"I thought both of us made that clear to you yesterday. I own the Long Branch and I'm not interested in making you the managing partner."

"Cut the charade. I know he's usin' you as the front, and a mighty pretty front you are, because he can't read or write and it just doesn't look good for a lawman to own a saloon where despite all his efforts a few illegal activities just might take place," he added giving Kitty a lust-filled wink. "The first thing you might make him aware of is the next whiskey shipment just might not arrive."

"With the marshal out of town, Festus has more important things to worry about than my whiskey shipments. That's for me, the owner, to worry about, not a deputy marshal."

"I can see I'll have to try another tactic later tonight when he's elsewhere to try and convince him. I'm afraid it might not be to your liking, but then again," he added this time with a sneer instead of a wink, "since you must be givin' him somethin' on the side, maybe not. You'll find I'm far more man than anyone you might know, especially him."

Matt remained alert during the entire train ride home for any sign he was being followed. Even so, he went through his exercises as a way to pass the time as well as to bring his arm and hand closer to its former strength and dexterity. He had a hunch that right arm of his might be needed and not simply to throw a punch. As the train neared the depot he reached into his pocket for his badge and pinned it back on. Even if he didn't show himself right away, whoever was either on the train with him or waiting for him when he got home would know whom he was really facing.

He climbed down from the train and walked toward his office in order to freshen up before making an appearance at the Long Branch to ask his favorite saloon owner to accompany him to supper. A surprise might be awaiting him from the men he was trying to stop. It would be best to come in the back way instead of making his usual entrance after checking for her over the batwing doors. If she weren't in her office or her rooms, he'd come down the front stairs to survey things from a vantage point nobody would expect. He'd be very surprised if they hadn't starting making their move on the saloon.

Matt had less time to wait than he thought for a move against him. He was finishing toweling off at the small table in the center of the room when he heard the slight squeak of a door hinge in need of oiling. Matt turned quickly, his hand resting on his gun, to see a man he'd noticed on the train. The fellow was dressed like a shopkeeper, but his clothing was too finely tailored to be the kind of shopkeeper found in a cow town. The man was pulling a derringer out of his coat pocket when Matt fired, wounding the man in his right shoulder forcing him to drop the small gun from his right hand and sending what might have been a deadly shot into the office floor.

The tall lawman leaned his full six-foot, seven-inch frame intimidatingly over his would-be killer and hauled him upright. Shoving the man ahead of him, Matt reached with his left hand for the keys on their hook by the door that led to the cells. Once the man was locked inside one of the cells, Matt stood, waiting for the wounded man to say something.

"I underestimated you, Marshal. When I started following you, I thought you were just some big guy physically who wanted to become a big man in other ways. Until I followed you here, while I knew you were probably some kind of lawman, I had no idea I was facing Matt Dillon. I'm lucky you didn't kill me outright."

"I want you alive to lead me to your boss. This operation's too slick for you to be the real leader, but I think you're closer to him than Gordon Price in Garden City."

"You're a smart one Dillon. Price wired my immediate superior in Pueblo and I caught a train to as close to Imperial as I could get. I found out there is no Adam Kimbro, rancher, anywhere near there despite the information wired to Deputy Windham. As soon as I got back to Garden City I wired my superior and he told me the boss in Denver wanted you followed back here to see whom you reported to, if anyone. He already knew you came in on the train from Dodge City and not from any other town."

Any further conversation was halted by the sound of jingling spurs and arguing. Matt stepped out of the area with the cells, closing the door behind him. Just as that door clicked shut the office door opened to reveal Doc Adams and his deputy Festus Haggen engaged in their usual bickering. He quickly filled them in on who the wounded prisoner was and the state of his health. Then, leaving his prisoner locked in a cell with Doc to tend to him and Festus to keep an eye on him once Doc was finished, Matt headed toward the Long Branch through the back alleys. He was taking no chances that his prisoner, whose name he didn't know yet, hadn't alerted his cohorts in Dodge to his arrival.

Milt Wiltsher watched Festus Haggen leave the Long Branch with the town doctor and head toward the jailhouse in reaction to the sound of gunfire from that direction. Although her companions had left, the redhead remained seated at the table. It was time to make his move. He made his way through the batwing doors, but didn't go directly to her table. Instead, he nodded at the two gunmen who'd joined him at his table earlier in the day. They approached Kitty's table while Wiltsher moved to the bar to order a bottle.

Matt meanwhile, after checking Kitty's office, made his way up the back stairs to her rooms. When he received no answer to his knock, he used his key to open the door. Quietly closing it behind him, Matt walked over to the bed they shared and placed the blue ribbon that was normally attached to his key on her pillow. Even if work kept him away until after closing, she'd know he was back safely. She had no reason to think the recent gunfire had anything to do with him since she didn't know when he'd return, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be worried he'd been shot before he had a chance to tell her he was back.

He left, closing and locking the door behind him before placing the key in his right-hand vest pocket. Then he turned toward the front staircase to survey the scene from above before descending the stairs into the main room. Perhaps he'd spot a similar trio to the now arrested three in Garden City and, if he could get close enough, overhear their plans and arrest them. He could only hope it would be before Kitty came to any harm or at best before she was aware she was in immediate danger.

No such luck he discovered when he peered over the banister at the scene spread below him. The two gunmen were on either side of her at the table where she should have and would normally be sitting alone or with friends. The fake businessman sat across from her, leaning toward her. The big lawman crept closer so he could hear the exchange and put a stop to things if she was in immediate danger.

"Red, just tell me what it would take to make the owner cooperate. Would the two on either side of you enjoying your company upstairs rile him enough?"

"The owner isn't enjoying their company at this table, so why would I want to invite them upstairs? Festus would be riled enough to throw all three of you in a cell if he caught you upstairs with me and I would be even less likely to sell this place if you tried something like that."

They hadn't tried anything yet, so Matt waited. When the gunman on Kitty's left wrapped his arm around her waist while the other covered her mouth with his arm as he pulled her head toward him forcing her to stand, Wiltsher also stood. The big lawman made his presence known just as the group was moving away from the table, the two intending to haul their captive upstairs to whichever room they found empty.

"Hold it right there. Let go of her and remove your gun belts or all three of you are dead men."

"What's it to you, Mister?" Wiltsher hissed as he looked up at the man looming over the banister with his six-gun drawn. "There's no need for any shooting. You have us at a disadvantage, so we'll do what you say."

"Matt, when did you get back?" Kitty asked as soon as she was free to speak.

"A little while ago. Looks like I surprised this little group. Kitty, I'll see you later after I lock these scumbags up."

Matt kept his gun on the three as he came the rest of the way down the stairs, while Kitty escaped to the bar. Part-time deputy Newly O'Brian entered in time to grab their gun belts from the floor and help the marshal herd them to the jailhouse.

"I reckon I was wrong. Your deputy doesn't own this saloon, you do and I don't reckon I'm in a position to induce a sale at this juncture."

"You're right about one thing. The Long Branch isn't for sale. Kitty's her own woman and she made it clear she'd never sell to the likes of you or anyone else even if I advised her that it was the smart thing to do to stay safe."

Matt, giving Kitty a quick and discrete squeeze of her hand in his large one, followed Newly out of the saloon and down the street to the jail. Once the prisoners were secured, making the prisoner population four, Matt sent off a telegram to Denver and turned toward the Long Branch rather than back toward his office. Getting information out of those men could wait until morning. Matt peered over the batwing doors, but didn't see Kitty. He came in and headed right for the stairs instead of stopping for a drink. When he entered their rooms in response to her welcoming greeting, he saw her leaning against the headboard of the big brass bed already ready for the evening and holding up the ribbon that normally was attached to his key like a sprig of mistletoe. The marshal quickly locked the door and hung up his hat and gun belt on the peg in the wall by it.


	5. Chapter 5 - A Trial Means a Trip

**Chapter 5 – Trial Testimony Provides an Excuse for a Trip**

Two weeks had passed since the arrest of the three men in the Long Branch. Like for those in Garden City, men were sent from Denver to escort Milt Wiltsher and his gunmen, Troy Briggs and Holden Warren within days of receiving the Dodge City lawman's telegram. They knew they'd be called to testify at the trial, but it wasn't until an hour ago that he and Kitty received their summons to be in Denver in ten days. They planned to be on the westbound train that left at noon the next day.

The marshal and his woman elected to sleep in the morning they were to leave for the Colorado capital. They took their time dressing in their travel clothes before finally heading out the door for a late but hearty breakfast at Delmonico's. Doc and Festus joined them. Newly was on a medical errand for Doc and would then ride over to Bear Sanderson's ranch to see the Dodge City founder's daughter Paula who he'd begun to court. The young gunsmith and part-time deputy had become a serious medical student since the passing of his wife Patricia two years ago and would qualify for his license within a year.

The two old friends walked with the couple over to the depot to see them off on their trip. While they walked, Matt imparted his instructions to Festus about keeping an eye on his town until he and Kitty returned in about two weeks. Time flew by as the friends talked and all too soon the couple found themselves seated on the train, waiving goodbye as it pulled out of the station picking up speed.

Matt had been diligent about keeping up the arm strengthening exercises Doc had given him but also careful not to overdo it. He found the strength and dexterity returning to it. The scare before he left for Garden City had made him realize what was at stake and, to his surprise, turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to him. His gun arm was in far better shape than it had been before the relapse, but still below what it was before he was wounded earlier in the year. He'd packed the sling, but was now using it every other night and expected to be finished with it all together by the time they returned home. He hadn't told Kitty yet, but, from his point of view, contemplating how to spend his retirement could be put off for the time being.

They had splurged and booked a Pullman berth for each of them. They only made use of one, but Matt was careful to be seen emerging from his separate one next to hers to maintain propriety. They'd also booked separate but connecting rooms at the hotel in Denver for the same reason. Both were looking forward to eight days with nothing to do but enjoy each other's company while they explored the big city Denver had become.

Kitty, seated by the window, looked out on a landscape that had changed in the last hour from one of open country to one with farm buildings every couple of miles or less. Matt, always the diligent lawman, spotted two men walking past him he hadn't seen on the train earlier. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed one was carrying a sack.

Drawing his gun, the US Marshal out of Dodge, cried out "Hold it right there. Turn around slowly and bring those sacks you're carrying to me. You're under arrest."

Hearing the authority in the voice, the men did as they were told. Sure enough, the sacks were full of valuables from the passengers in the car they'd just come from. In short order Matt turned them over to the conductor to lock up until they could be turned over to the proper authorities in Denver and the valuables could be returned to their rightful owners to press charges if they saw fit. The big lawman then headed back to his seat before he could see the conductor turn his charges over to the Denver lawmen already aboard the train.

Kitty had turned back to watching the countryside outside the train window, only turning away briefly when her man returned to his seat. Matt turned his head to watch as well. If he hadn't, he might have seen the two men approaching along the aisle down the center of the car from the opposite end as the two spoilers he'd caught and stopped them before they fired. The last thing he felt was a searing pain in his right side, followed by a second one on the left side of his head as he turned it toward the source of the first shot and reached for his own gun.

Matt slipped into unconsciousness so fast he didn't even realize the two had also shot Kitty in her right leg. Before continuing on past them, the masked men calmly took the lawman's billfold and demanded she turn over her jewelry and reticule. They took the money and tossed the bag that had held it back to her while announcing for the benefit of the remaining passengers that there would be no more shooting if they cooperated.

The robbers moved in opposite directions from the seat in the middle of the car to collect the money and valuables from the other passengers. However, they'd only moved four seats along when they were stopped by three uniformed Denver policemen and a man in plain clothes who was directing the officers. The young man in charge of the policemen stopped where a worried Kitty was trying desperately to stop the bleeding from Matt's two wounds while ignoring the blood coming from her own leg.

"Miss Russell, my name's Detective Sergeant Lionel Walker," the six-foot impeccably groomed blond man of about 25 told her. "I'm sorry I wasn't perceptive enough to arrive before those apparent robbers shot you and Marshal Dillon. I was supposed to protect you by getting on the train before we reached Denver to escort you safely to your hotel. Instead it will be to the hospital since I've obviously failed in my mission."

Kitty merely nodded at the young policeman. True to his word, as soon as the train stopped at the station, he had his men carry Matt and help her to a waiting carriage. He climbed aboard as the carriage whisked them to their destination. Had she not been so preoccupied, she might have seen the detective tell one of his men to alert the hospital of their needs – the top doctors available, adjoining hospital rooms and armed guards to protect the travelers from Dodge City. She only became aware of what he'd done when he jumped out as they came to a stop and held the door open for the men with the stretcher and a wheelchair.

They were brought directly to the operating theater where the surgeon in charge asked Kitty all sorts of questions she tried her best to answer about her and Matt's general health while one of his assistants attended to prepping her for removal of the bullet in her leg and others transferred Matt to a gurney that took him to a smaller room. She too was wheeled into another small operating room where her wounded leg was exposed and she was given ether to put her out while the bullet was removed and the wound was closed and dressed.

When Kitty awakened, she was in a private hospital room, dressed in one of her own nightgowns. Matt was nowhere to be seen. The nurse, who'd been responsible for removing her travel clothes and replacing them with the nightgown, noticed the redheaded woman was waking from the anesthetic. Kitty gave her no time to introduce herself or ask any questions.

"I need to see Matt! Is he still alive? I have to know!"

The nurse, despite her years of experience, was unprepared for the woman's reaction. Many patients awoke and were disoriented, but they didn't demand to see a particular person who may or may not be deceased. She called in the resident doctor who'd performed the operation on the woman. His superior, the senior surgeon, Dr. Wesley Hickman, was still in surgery with the man who'd been brought in with the woman. That was all she could think to do.


	6. Chapter 6 - Matt's Life in the Balance

**Chapter 6 – Matt's Life and the Trial's Outcome Hang in the Balance**

Lionel Walker followed the surgery resident into Kitty Russell's hospital room. The nurse and doctor tried to calm their patient while the police detective stood in the background. She finally accepted the fact she'd have to wait until Matt Dillon was out of surgery and in his own hospital room. Lionel Walker dismissed the medically trained man and woman as soon as their patient agreed to cooperate. He stood at her bedside and waited until her attention was turned toward him.

"Miss Russell, I'll use my influence to see you are reunited with the marshal as soon as possible. I've already arranged for his room to be next to yours. I can only hope the surgery is successful. I've come to admire the man just from reading his reports on this investigation and would be flattered if he would be willing to allow me to learn from his experience in law enforcement. I've told the nurse to have Dr. Hickman come here as soon as the surgery's over to update us."

"Thank you Mr. Walker. I appreciate all you've done since Matt was shot on the train. Since it appears we'll be spending a lot of time together, perhaps we can dispense with formality. Please call me Kitty."

"I'd be proud to call you Miss Kitty if you'll agree to address me as Lionel. I can't help but feel a simple Kitty without the title would be disrespectful on my part."

"Deal. Do you have any further information on Matt, Lionel? The longer your Dr. Hickman takes, the more worried I am about Matt's chances."

Lionel was about to tell Kitty what little he knew when Dr. Wesley Hickman strolled through the open door. He gave the young detective a withering stare, but didn't tell the young man to leave the room. He knew Detective Walker was there to protect his patient and the man in the adjoining room, where two uniformed policemen were stationed even before the injured man was brought into it. On the other hand, as annoyed with Walker's presence as he was, he was pleased with the job his resident had done on Miss Russell's leg. The lad showed real promise as a surgeon.

Kitty began talking as soon as the doctor came up to her bedside to check on how well his assistant had done. She had to find out about Matt.

"Doctor, before you say anything else, tell me, is Matt still alive? If he is, I need to get to him immediately and stay with him."

"Young woman. I don't know who this man is to you other than you were brought in from the train together but I can only tell immediate relatives about a patient's condition and only a spouse may stay in the room with a patient. When he's awake, and if he agrees to it, you may visit with him for a few minutes. As I'm sure you're aware, he was very seriously wounded."

"At least I know he's alive. Your answer told me that much. Matt and I may not be married, but we've sure talked about it enough. I'm the closest person to him here or anywhere. He has no family other than me, and our close friends. If he's to survive, he's got to know I'm ok and the only way to do that is for me to be with him. Otherwise, he might never awake."

Dr. Hickman was still unwilling to grant Kitty permission to go immediately to Matt's side. He pointed out her need to remain in her bed to speed the healing process and then repeated his objection on the grounds they weren't a married couple. Lionel finally was able to dictate a solution to the two stubborn people. He merely pointed out the importance of the trial and that anything that might help the key witness his father the District Attorney was counting on to be available, however slim, was something worth doing. In addition, protecting both witnesses would be simpler, requiring less manpower, if they were in the same room.

The doctor knew he was licked. He summoned a wheelchair to bring Kitty into Matt's room and also arranged for an extra bed to be placed in there so both patients could get the necessary rest.

Once Dr. Hickman left, Lionel wheeled Kitty into Matt's room. The orderlies were just finishing setting up her bed as they entered. He placed the wheelchair between her bed and Matt's and helped her find the best way to transfer from one to the other without putting pressure on her injured right leg. During the entire time, Matt never stirred. The only indication that he was alive was the very slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

As soon as he saw Kitty had the hang of moving from one spot to another, Lionel left the room, closing the door behind him. Without Dillon's testimony their case against Dean Littlefield would be that much weaker. He was sure the marshal had told Miss Kitty a good deal of what he'd learned during his investigation and questioning of his prisoners, but his reports couldn't be reinforced during cross examination and her testimony, other than what she had to say about what occurred in the Long Branch would be dismissed by Judge Stephen Walden as hearsay. Still, all he could do was leave her alone in hopes her love for the stricken man would result in a miracle.

Kitty moved her chair next to Matt's bed and hauled herself onto it so that she sat beside his inert form and gaze at him. His head, swathed in a bandage, was held nearly immobile by a series of straps, which in effect made it nearly impossible for him to move the rest of his body. This was just as well judging from the bandage over the wound in his side. She hoped the doctor would return at some point and give her some idea as to his chances of living, let alone a full recovery. Meanwhile, her left hand took hold of his right one. There was no answering squeeze.

"Cowboy, if you love me, you can't die on me now," she said, speaking her thoughts out loud. "You always said any day might be your last, but it would be just like you to do it at the start of one of our rare vacations. It seems that badge always gets in the way even when it seemingly gave us the chance for this trip."


	7. Chapter 7 - Kitty's Vigil

**Chapter 7 – Kitty's Vigil**

An hour had passed before Dr. Hickman returned to find Kitty sitting holding the unconscious Matt's hand while staring at the lawman's face. He was quite certain her world revolved around the man lying and probably dying in that bed. Still, he needed to check on his patient so he cleared his throat to let her know someone else was in the room. She waited patiently, keeping hold of the hand of the man he could tell she loved with all her heart, while he checked all the vital signs. Although he wasn't bleeding, he was in a deep coma and those vital signs were weak and getting weaker.

"Doctor, is Matt gonna live? Don't try and spare my feelings. I want the truth."

"The truth is I don't know. His chances are slim to none thanks to that bullet that dented his skull, but didn't penetrate to the brain, combined with a deep wound in his side. The latter alone is serious enough, although it didn't penetrate any vital organs, to have killed him without immediate surgery. The head wound is the less serious on the surface, but it could have caused significant internal damage. Either could lead to loss of life, but the combination is what makes it almost a miracle that he will survive at all and if he does, the odds don't favor him awakening as the same man he was during your train ride."

"At least you've allowed me to remain. Maybe, deep down he'll know I stayed with him 'til the end, whether it's soon or a slow demise after he wakes up."

"We don't fully understand comas or, for that matter, any head trauma. There's so much we need to learn about how the brain works. I see no harm and maybe even some benefit in you being here. Perhaps your presence will make the difference. We'll just have to wait and see."

Life in that hospital room settled into a rhythm. Each morning Kitty would maneuver her body into the wheelchair and use it to give her purchase, without putting weight on her injured leg, to transfer to Matt's bed. There she would remain talking to him and holding his hand, sometimes placing a soft kiss on his forehead, pausing only to eat and take care of other necessities. Lionel Walker made daily visits, while Dr. Hickman stopped by to see his patients several times a day. Finally, on day three, the doctor removed the stitches from Kitty's leg and told her she should begin walking around the room using a cane for support. The most important change, though, was Matt's condition changed from deteriorating to holding steady to, just before she returned to bed, improving.

It wasn't only Matt's vital signs that became stronger. He began to squeeze back when she held his hand and talked to him. Kitty began to hope he'd soon awaken. However, the doctor wasn't quite so optimistic.

"Miss Russell, I know things look promising, but don't get your hopes up too much. It's now more than probable that he'll live, but we don't know what sort of life until he regains consciousness, if he ever regains it."

Meanwhile, the police guards remained outside the door and young Detective Sergeant Walker monitored the progress of his beautiful witness from Dodge City and the star witness who remained alive, yet still unable to testify. On the morning of the fifth day since they were both shot, he informed her that his father District Attorney Derrick Walker was able to postpone the trial so that instead of starting in three days, it would begin in ten.

Kitty wondered if the postponement was long enough. Would Matt be improved enough by then that she could leave his side even for a few hours? Better yet, would he be close to being able to testify at the trial? Dr. Hickman was right, until her cowboy woke up, they wouldn't know if he would be the same man or even be able to get back to being the same man. In her current state, it seemed like only yesterday he'd had a relapse with his gun arm that sent him almost back to the first weeks after he was shot during that bank robbery. This time it was his brain that could be permanently damaged by a bullet striking him.

Despite still being in a coma, the doctor loosened the straps that kept Matt from moving his head enough so she could lift and support it while he drank water or broth through a rye tube. Those tubes helped to get liquid down his throat so he wouldn't become dehydrated and even weaker from lack of nourishment, but the tubes tended to melt into the liquid forcing the orderlies to keep a large supply on hand. During the five days in the Denver hospital Kitty had become quite adept at getting liquid down his throat.

Each evening she sat eating her supper while watching Matt for any sign that he was coming round. When she finished, an orderly took her tray and returned with warm broth for her man to drink. Fifteen minutes later Dr. Hickman entered the room to check on his unconscious patient for the third time that day. This was the routine.

Tonight the orderly left beef broth on a tray on the bedside table along with a half-dozen rye tubes for the comatose man to drink. Kitty lifted Matt's head, placing the pillow from her bed behind him to help him maintain a better angle for her to get something down his throat. She then placed the tray across his hips and positioned the first of the tubes so one end was in the bowl of broth she held in her hands and the other touched his lips. When she applied pressure to the end against his lips, he opened his mouth enough for the liquid to flow inside as if he were a suckling infant. As usual, she focused on his face. Unlike all the other times, he opened his eyes as she brought the tube to his lips and voluntarily opened his mouth to take in the straw before she could apply pressure. Kitty loudly dropped the bowl back onto the tray in surprise, spilling the remaining contents.


	8. Chapter 8 - Matt Awakens

**Chapter 8 – Matt Awakens**

Dr. Wesley Hickman was approaching his patients' door when he and Lionel Walker heard a thud. Lionel, younger by ten years, was first through the door but only by inches. They were greeted by a tearful, smiling Kitty Russell and a conscious Matt Dillon. The doctor rushed to the bedside of his formerly comatose patient.

"If you know your name, try to speak it," Hickman said as he checked the man's pulse and then checked his eyes.

"Matt," the now awake man replied.

"That's very good. Now can you tell me who the woman sitting beside you is? I'll loosen the straps holding your head in place so you can turn it to see those around you. Mind, do it very slowly. You're skull's not completely healed."

Matt grabbed Kitty's hand as he ever so slowly rotated his head in her direction and said, "'ty kay! Know 'thers?"

Matt started asking questions as well as answering them, but the sentences were incomplete and slightly garbled. Finally in frustration he pointed at the chart and pen in the doctor's hand. It was young Walker who understood his meaning. He located a pad and pencil in one of the drawers in the room and gave them to Matt, who began to write furiously.

When he paused, Kitty took the pad and pencil from him and looked at Matt questioningly. As usual, they understood each other without the need for words, just a meeting of their blue eyes. She began to read what he'd written.

"Kitty, who are these two men and where am I? The last I remember is two men coming toward us, shooting."

"The younger man is Detective Sargent Lionel Walker. His quick actions led to the policemen under him arresting those two shooters and bringing us here. You're in the hospital and the man in the white coat with the stethoscope around his neck is Dr. Wesley Hickman, who took two bullets out of you and saved your life."

Now that he knew his patient could understand what was going on around him, Dr. Hickman directed him to flex various muscles to see how well he could control them. Matt could move everything, but was clumsy about it, especially when it came to the flexibility of his right arm and hand. Kitty explained about the injury several months back, his relapse and the exercises Doc had given him. The doctor nodded in understanding. Obviously, his writing after being completely immobile for five days had tired his muscles somewhat.

"Tomorrow you can begin exercising your arm and the rest of your body when we start physical therapy. Meanwhile, I'll leave you in the care of this remarkable young woman. Detective, if you want my patient to be ready to help you at that upcoming trial, I suggest you leave these two alone until morning. Marshal Dillon will need a lot of rest as well as hard work if he's to have a chance at full recovery."

The doctor started for the door, but Matt put his hand on the policeman's arm to stop him and asked "Pape' 'cil?"

Lionel nodded at the doctor, ignoring the man's frown and provided the requested material. Matt again wrote quickly signing his name at the end of the short message home.

"Dr. G. Adams, Front Street, Dodge City, KS: Trial delayed. Denver stay longer than expected. Let you know how long once we know. Matt."

Matt handed the piece of paper back to Lionel who promised to send the telegram off immediately. The young man looked questioningly at the lawman and his lady, but neither of the two offered any explanation as to why a telegram directed to a physician made no reference to their injuries. It more like something the man would have sent to his main assistant, but Dr. Hickman was right, the marshal needed rest and so he saved his question for later.

Once the room was empty, except for Matt and Kitty, the lovers embraced for the first time since they'd left the Pullman berth in the train nearly six days earlier. In all the excitement of Matt's return to the world of the living, albeit in an impaired condition, the doctor had neglected to give them any instructions, and she forgot to ask, concerning the restraints meant to keep him from moving his head and compounding the injuries he'd already sustained. Even with no known reins on his movements, they resisted the impulse to turn the embrace and passionate kisses that followed into something more on either of the beds in the room.

The Dodge City couple was finishing off their breakfast the next morning when Dr. Hickman made his first appearance. He smiled to see his more seriously injured patient had a good appetite and put a small pile of books and newspapers on the small table by the window next to a comfortable chair.

"Good morning. Today represents the first day of hard work toward getting on with your lives. Please remain on the bed, Mr. Dillon, so I can complete my physical examination to determine how far along you are in that recovery. The results will determine what activities you start your rehabilitation with."

The doctor, after checking his patient's pulse and listening to his lungs and heart, determined the wound in his side was healed enough for the stitches to be removed. On the other hand, after looking in his eyes and noting Matt's involuntary acknowledgment that his head still hurt a lot, Dr. Hickman determined the lawman was still suffering from a concussion, but it was no longer severe. Once the physical exam and removal of the stitches were over, the physician explained just what exercises he wanted the marshal to engage in to regain his strength and dexterity. It was an extensive physical regime including which foods he should eat.

"For today your exercise won't take you from this room, but it will entail walking to and settling yourself in the chair by the window. I've brought some material for you to read aloud. Since you seem quite able to coherently express yourself in writing, I feel reading will help with verbal expression. You'll start by speaking slowly, concentrating on one syllable at a time. There are novels and the most recent copies of the Dodge City newspaper. The upcoming trial is mentioned there, but not in detail. I expect Mr. Walker senior, our District Attorney, will fill you in on your expected role in that."

His instructions complete, the doctor followed the orderly carrying the empty breakfast trays and used bandages out of the room, closing the door behind him. Immediately Kitty began helping Matt with his physical exercises, ending with him leaning on her arm as he slowly made his way to the chair by the window. She helped him settle into it and put his feet up on the ottoman before she handed him a copy of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations open to the first page. She then picked up a duplicate copy of the book in her hand.

"My 'ily Pir' 'tian Phil, 'fant make 'ing long Pip. I 'self call Pip," Matt read the first time through. When Kitty asked him to repeat it even slower the first paragraph of the book now poured off his tongue as "My 'ily name Pir', and my 'ian name Phil, my 'fant tongue make both names long' than Pip. So, I call' 'self Pip and came call' Pip."

Only when he paused for several seconds between syllables was he able to speak every word of that first sentence, "My fath er's fam 'i' ly name be ing Pir rip, and my Christ ian name Phil ip, my in fant tongue could make of both names no thing long er or more ex pli cit than Pip."

By then, Kitty was tired of reading the same sentence over and over, so she handed him a week-old Dodge City Bulletin. Picking up her own copy of the newspaper and holding her reading glasses to her eyes, she asked him to read the headline across the top of the front page. Again he tried to read at a normal pace, repeating the phrase again and again until he, like with the sentence from Great Expectations, was speaking one syllable at a time with long pauses of at least three seconds between them, "Mar shal Dill on and Miss Kit ty Rus sell to tes ti fy in Den ver Tri al."


	9. Chapter 9 - Trial Preparation

**Chapter 9 – Trial Preparation**

An hour after beginning the reading exercise, Matt was still on the first paragraph of the Dodge City paper's article on he and Kitty's trip to Denver to testify at the big trial, which was only occurring because their very own marshal had uncovered the conspiracy to control western Kansas and eastern Colorado, beginning with taking over ownership of the top saloons in those areas. The best of those saloons was beyond a doubt the Long Branch owned by the much-admired Miss Kitty, a woman not to be underestimated.

Although Matt hadn't done any more than haltingly read the first sentence "Our mar shal Matt Dil lon and his trav el ing com pan i on Miss Kit ty Rus sell the beau ti ful own er of the Long Branch sal loon de part ed on the noon train to day for Den ver," he did manage that first sentence with only two and a half instead of three-second pauses between syllables. Despite the problems reading out loud, he did manage to read the entire paragraph before Kitty had him start in on that first sentence at a slower and slower pace until he pronounced all the syllables. He wanted to read only those sentences that described Kitty, but the redhead he'd let into his heart nearly 20 years ago insisted he stick to that first sentence. At least he now knew they were in Denver and why.

"That's it Cowboy. Now let's see if you can repeat the sentence so that every syllable is enunciated again. Don't try to rush."

Matt did try to rush, although to him it was still painfully slow. Even so, when he sped up to maybe two and a quarter seconds between syllables, he missed saying parts of the multi-syllable words and even a few of the monosyllabic words out loud for the two men who entered the room to overhear. He was embarrassed Kitty had acknowledged their knock with an invitation to enter.

"This might present a problem," the older of the two blond-haired men noted. "The jury will have a hard time following his testimony and defense might be able to imply he doesn't have his facts straight."

"Dad, yesterday he couldn't even get an understandable sentence out of his mouth. Slow, but complete, is a vast improvement. We've got time for even more progress before he's called to testify as your final witness."

Listening to the two men discussing him as if he weren't there, Matt blurted out, "Here 'stand say. Work be tri'."

"Marshal, please forgive our insensitivity," Lionel Walker replied as he extended his hand toward the man seated in the chair with a bandage around his head. "No insult was intended."

"Give," Matt answered. "'duce?"

"Oh, where are my manners. Marshal Matt Dillon, Miss Russell, this is my father, Denver District Attorney Derrick Walker. Dad, meet your two star witnesses."

"Pleased to meet you both. Miss Russell I'm sure we'll have no problem with your testimony, but Marshal, I'm at a loss as to how I can be sure that you still retain all of what you learned from your investigations and wrote in your reports. I need to be absolutely certain of what you actually know before I even consider putting you on the stand. It might turn out to be more damaging than simply entering your written reports as evidence as I would have been forced to do had the attempt on your life been successful. I can't hide your current state from the defense. Even if I delay it to the last possible moment, Fred Billings will want to cross examine you and even if Judge Carlton Braxton agrees to allow you leeway due to the trauma you suffered, he won't bar cross examination. By the way, what was it you said?"

While Walker senior was speaking, Matt reached for the pad and pencil on the table and began to write. When he was done, he handed it to the man who, with his son, had taken seats in the chairs provided by one of the two policemen guarding the door.

Matt's missive read, "I said I'm here and understand everything you say. I'm working on being ready for the trial. Then I said you're forgiven. Will you introduce the man with you, Walker? My memory's fine. I just have a problem talking unless I do it very slowly."

Kitty added, "Dr. Hickman seems to feel reading out loud will help Matt get up to normal speed. If not, as you said, the judge will just have to make allowances."

Walker senior wasn't too happy with that. They finally agreed that Matt should wait until his speech was more coherent before going over his testimony too much. At worst, Matt's suggestion of writing his responses might be the least detrimental. At least he would be doing it right there in the courtroom. The main problem would be the swearing in. Meanwhile, they'd deal with generalities so the DA had an idea of what Matt knew.

By the end of day three after he awoke, Matt and Kitty could be seen strolling down the hospital corridor together. Each day he walked farther and with more strength in his step. Also, each day brought him closer to normal speech. It got to the point where Kitty grew tired of both Great Expectations and Dodge City's newspaper article on the coming trial. Also, each day Lionel Walker came to see the two people he was coming to regard as friends. Sometimes his father accompanied him.


	10. Chapter 10 - Life at the Walkers

**Chapter 10 – Life in the Walker Household**

Five days before the trial was to begin, Dr. Hickman decided Matt no longer needed to remain in the hospital. All his concussion symptoms had disappeared. His head no longer ached, his eyes were clear and there were no signs of nausea or dizziness since midway through his first complete day out of his coma. The only signs of the shooting remaining were he hadn't regained his full strength and he still had that nagging problem with his speech.

As soon as he was officially released, Detective Walker came to fetch the two Dodge City witnesses and whisk them by private carriage to the Walker home. When they arrived, a petite maid opened the door for them while a butler and the coachman saw to their bags. Lionel led them into the library to sit and take refreshment to allow Matt to rest before tackling the stairs to their rooms. A bathroom, with a large tub and readily available hot water for filling it, connected the two bedrooms.

A half-hour later they were shown into their rooms and the maid and butler had unpacked their bags in the sunlit airy rooms. Two hours later refreshed and dressed in clean clothes, Matt made his way down the staircase, his right hand on the bannister and his left around Kitty's waist. When they reached the bottom, he offered her his arm as both tried to decide which way to turn for the dining room. Lionel, accompanied by a very pretty girl of about 20, solved the problem.

In the dining room Matt and Kitty sat on the near side in relation to the door while Lionel and his sister Gwen took seats on the far side. Their parents, Derrick and Madelyn, were already seated at the head and foot, although Derrick rose as the two younger women entered the room and remained standing until both were seated. Matt, like Lionel, pulled out the chair for the lady who would sit by his side, but as he pushed Kitty's chair toward the table he concealed the fact he was also leaning on that chair for support. He took his own seat as rapidly as possible.

"I realize Mr. Dillon that you're tired from your trip on your first day out of the hospital, so I won't ask that you carry on a conversation. I trust you will allow Miss Russell to respond on your behalf if more than a word or two or a nod is needed. I will, however, inform you of the changes that have occurred since we last spoke of your upcoming testimony. First, before we start in on the salad, introductions are in order."

Being a gracious host, Derrick Walker introduced his wife and daughter to their guests. He and his son had determined this household would be the safest place for them to stay and much less conspicuous than a couple of hotel rooms with a policeman in front of each door at all times. Hence, he'd alerted Maddie and Gwen to their arrival upon Dillon's release from the hospital and the restrictions and needs of the lawman and his beautiful companion.

Dinner proceeded quietly from one course to the next, but as dessert was served, Derrick broached the subject of why the two guests were in Denver. Once it was clear he had their full attention he began.

"Our one large trial has become several. The defense has managed to separate the arrests on the train and in each of the towns and cities into separate trials. I was able to make sure the Colorado arrests, except for those on the train, were scheduled first. The trials of those arrested on the train, including the two who attempted to murder you, will follow, but some of the trials of those whose arrests took place in Kansas before your personal intervention may occur at the same time. Those people who tried to take over towns by forcing the sale of saloons aren't of great importance and I see no need for you to repeat your analysis of your investigation at each one of them, Mr. Dillon. The two attempts at train robbery, the second one including the murder attempt on your lives, will follow, then the arrests in Garden City and finally Dodge, although Travis Michaels, since he has a connection to our main suspect and tried to murder you will be next to last. The final trial will be of the alleged leader of the whole scheme, Dean Littlefield."

"How many days will it be before either of us has to testify?" Kitty asked.

DA Walker counted the number of trials, the first of them beginning tomorrow, without Matt Dillon's testimony until he came to the first where he might have to be called in accordance with the compromise Denver's chief prosecutor was forced to make. By his reckoning Matt still had ten days to improve his verbal skills before taking the stand and that first time would require very little on his part and might not prove necessary since he had so little to contribute. Lionel and his men caught the two robbers Matt had spotted and he caught only enough of a glimpse of the two who'd tried to kill him as they approached the middle of the train where he and Kitty sat. However, for Kitty, it would be her most harrowing testimony as she sat there watching two men put two bullets into the man she loved more than life itself and then another into her leg.

By the following morning Matt and Kitty had a new routine. They would awake either in his or her bed and express their love for one another with a good morning kiss, which more often than not led to something more passionate. Then they would make use of the bathroom to wash, and, in Matt's case, to shave, before going to their respective rooms to dress in comfortable clothes. The maid and butler had been instructed not to enter the rooms until at least one of them was in the hallway.

At breakfast conversation was kept to general topics such as the differences between life in a small town like Dodge City and a growing metropolis like Denver. Matt, not a talkative man to begin with, said as little as possible while Kitty carried on the bulk of their conversational end. After the meal the three men and Kitty would adjourn to Derrick's study where the morning paper was available. It was Kitty's job to pick an article for Matt to read aloud until it was time for their host to head for the courthouse and his son to the police station. Walker senior and junior would escort their guests from that private sanctum to the library where Matt would spend an hour going through the exercises Doc and Dr. Hickman had prescribed to build his strength and agility.

Since until after they testified neither Matt nor Kitty were supposed to venture outside even on the grounds of the Walker estate, they turned the house into an exercise yard. Each morning Matt did a bit more. The stairs leading to their rooms played a big part in building his stamina and wind, but it was in the gunroom that he practiced with a pistol so nobody back in Dodge would know he'd been seriously wounded. Of course, if he weren't ready for the courtroom by the time his testimony was needed his secret would become public knowledge. Therefore, the afternoons were almost entirely dedicated to restoring his verbal skills.

After supper each evening the two Walker men and Matt and Kitty would gather in the evening so the Walkers could fill them in on where the trial preparations stood and begin the process of going over their testimony and any possible challenges to it. These sessions gave Matt an additional chance to work on verbalizing what was in his head. The gap between syllables lessened with each passing day, but would still increase late in the evening as he tired. Even as his strength moved toward what was normal for Matt Dillon, he still found that last trip up the stairs each night was the hardest.

Still, as much of a toll as that final walk up the stairs to their rooms took out of him, he had enough left for what began in the bathroom. While the heated water flowed into the tub from the latest plumbing marvels that were installed, the lawman and his red-haired lady gradually undressed each other as they caressed and kissed. After helping the other to wash those hard to reach and sensual places, they would dry each other off and make their way to one bedroom or the other to continue their mutual exploration. Finally, spent, they would drift off into a deep sleep until they awoke and slowly made their way to separate rooms to dress.

Although they weren't seeing any of Denver, it was their pre-trial vacation. Most of the day it was just the two of them. Then two weeks after they were shot it was time to go to court. The trials of those accused of taking over the Colorado towns by violent and fraudulent means were conducted simultaneously in several courtrooms at once. Derrick Walker's assistants and prosecutors for the state serving under the Colorado Attorney General prosecuted these. None lasted more than a couple of days and most led to convictions, although sometimes on lesser charges.

The new week would begin with the trial of the robbers and the attempt on Matt's life. Neither he nor Kitty expected to be called as witnesses for the first because she never saw the robbers and he only caught a glimpse of them as they headed to the next car to rob the people there. However, Kitty's testimony was essential to the second trial if they were to make the charge of attempted murder stick. Derrick Walker threw questions at Kitty that Sunday evening he felt the defense might ask during their cross examination and recognized the underlying determination in the woman and man who began their stay in his home as guests under protection and had become friends of the entire family.

"I think you're as ready as you can be to bare witness against the two men who shot you and Matt, Kitty. Matt, I'm still not certain you're up to testifying, but it would be more detrimental if you weren't in the courtroom. I hope I don't have to call you to the stand. Be that as it may, we'll go to court together tomorrow morning."

Matt decided he had to reply even though, despite all the practice, his speech was still hesitant, "I'll be rea-dy, Der-rick, if you need me. I saw them clear-ly as they came to-ward me and fired."


	11. Chapter 11 - A Week in Court

**Chapter 11 – A Week in Court and More**

Like the trials the previous week, the first trial was short. For just an instant, DA Walker thought of calling Marshal Dillon to the stand, but decided his testimony wasn't necessary for a conviction. However, when it came time to build the case against the ringleader of this conspiracy, Dean LIttlefield, he'd ask Matt to describe the two train robbers his son and the policemen under him apprehended. He'd then have those men brought into the courtroom for the lawman to identify.

As it turned out Derrick Walker was right. The jury took very little time to return a verdict of guilty.

He stuck to the same strategy that afternoon at the trial of the two robbers in Matt and Kitty's car. The other passengers testified to being robbed at gunpoint after the shooting of the couple sitting in the middle of the car. When asked to identify the people who were shot, none of them showed the least hesitation in pointing to Matt and Kitty. He called Kitty to the stand.

After the swearing in and the preliminary standard questions, Walker began to steer his case in the direction of attempted murder when he asked, "Miss Russell, please tell the court where in the train you were seated and what you were doing since the train departed from the last station before reaching Denver."

"I was seated next to Matt, my traveling companion from Dodge, looking out the window watching the change from rural to more dense population. Matt, was in the aisle seat. That's when I heard two nearly simultaneous gunshots and turned to see two men with guns drawn and Matt bleeding. Then the one closest to our seats shot me in the right leg. When the men approached us they were moving in the same direction down the center aisle of the car, but one stopped, demanded I hand over Matt's wallet and my reticule and smiled at the blood from our wounds before turning around to head back in the direction he came from while the other continued on past us after his own smirk aimed in our direction. They seemed quite satisfied Matt was bleeding from the left side of his head and right side. After that, all I cared about was Matt."

"Miss Russell, before I ask you to identify the two men, would you please tell the court the reason you and your traveling companion were on the train. Also, please state for the record his full name and occupation."

"Matt, US Marshal Matthew Dillon, and I were coming to Denver to testify at the trial of the men who tried to force me to sell my place of business, whom Matt arrested. He was also coming to testify not only at the trial of those men but also at the trial of the man he arrested for attempting to kill him at home in Dodge City, the men arrested in Garden City and against all the other men whose arrest his investigation led to."

"One final request. Please point out the two men who shot Marshal Dillon."

After Kitty identified the defendants, their lawyer tried to shake her testimony, but got nowhere. She was sure of who shot them and their intentions. She joined Matt in the main seating area and was replaced in the witness chair by first Detective Sergeant Lionel Walker, who described their arrest and verified their pistols were fired so recently after the bullets entered the marshal and Miss Russell that they were still smoking. Dr. Wesley Hickman then replaced him.

"Doctor, in your opinion would Marshal Dillon be alive today if Detective Sergeant Walker hadn't transported the wounded man directly to the hospital and notified you to be ready when they arrived? Secondly, what did the placement of the wounds on the marshal and Miss Russell indicate?"

"I'll start with Miss Russell if I may. Her leg wound was not life threatening. However, even though Mr. Dillon was brought directly to the hospital and I operated immediately, it was still uncertain he would live or if he did if he'd ever regain full consciousness. Had there been the least delay, he would be dead."

During the cross examination, the defense attorney tried to give the jury the impression that the nearly lethal wounds suffered by Marshal Dillon were the result of an accident. The doctor not only stood his ground, but given the opportunity indicated that gunshots fired at such close range might be off by inches, but not so far off that their near fatal placement was unintentional during an attempt to ensure the passengers cooperated with the robbers.

Tuesday morning the defense called the accused to the stand. Both swore they were innocent victims of the real robbers who thrust the guns in their hands while the real robbers made a clean getaway, possibly with assistance from confederates waiting for them outside the train. The defense attorney then prepared to call his next witness.

"This court has heard from all of my clients' alleged victims except one, the man Dr. Hickman said might have died but didn't. I know as a gunshot and robbery victim he won't be inclined toward my clients so I ask the court to allow me to treat him as a hostile witness. I call Marshal Matthew Dillon to the stand."

Matt was duly sworn in and asked to state his name, address and occupation for the record before being asked if he remembered what occurred on the train up to his being shot. If possible, he was asked to indicate who shot him. Kitty inwardly cringed on her cowboy's behalf. Last night, despite being tired, he was almost perfect as he read the opening paragraph of the evening newspaper and was even able to do a credible job of reading the entire first paragraph of Great Expectations. The problem was the almost – he wasn't back to normal Matt Dillon. She glanced over at the two Walker men and saw they shared her fear. If her man tried too hard, he might be perceived as impaired enough that the defense could question his competency and everything he said would be turned in favor of the accused in all the remaining trials.

Matt took his seat and began his response, "Matthew Dillon, United States Marshal headquartered in Dodge City, Kansas. I saw the two men on trial here come down the aisle toward me and draw and fire their pistols at me so quickly I only had time to clear my coat away and reach for my own Colt before I felt pain in my right side and immediately in my head. Then I blacked out."

In his cross examination, DA Walker asked, "Marshal Dillon, did any thoughts run through your mind before, as you stated, 'you blacked out?' If so, what were they?"

"As soon as I realized they were shooting, I had no doubt it wasn't to simply rob the passengers. I'd seen the other two from yesterday morning's trial and knew they were working with the two who were firing at me to create the impression this was a simple robbery. The real purpose was to keep me and Kitty Russell from testifying against the rest of their gang. My last thought that day was how could I protect her if I'm hit?"

The defense strategy seemed to have backfired. The jury returned a guilty verdict for not only armed robbery, but also attempted murder. It also gave the District Attorney an opening for tying the trials together. The first of those trials of the men alleged to have conspired to take over individual Kansas towns starting with the best saloon was already underway when Matt was testifying, so Walker let Matt's testimony about his investigation into what went on before his trip to Garden City go for now. He now felt he'd have no problem interjecting it into the trial of the Garden City men as soon as Matt began his testimony.

There was still a chance of another murder attempt since the most important part of their testimony was yet to come. If they sat and watched the court proceedings Matt and Kitty could be surreptitiously protected, but if they spent time touring the city, that protection, unless carefully concealed, might not be feasibly done. On the other hand, the defense might be able to establish that viewing the proceedings unfairly refreshed Matt's memory. Therefore, since Lionel would be finished with his part midway through the second week of trials, he, his partner, along with two other young officers, one of whom had an interest in his sister Gwen, would accompany the two tourists and show them the sites.

Although nothing happened during these outings, Lionel was careful that they remained in public places where the number of people would prevent a second attempt on the lives of the two people he and his family had come to regard as friends. That special sense that alerts the successful lawman to impending danger prickled the back of his neck and Matt's neck as well. Matt, now that they were visible, had strapped on his gun belt. He felt, given his state of recovery, he was ready to draw and shoot if he had to. His physical exercise, particularly practicing in the Walker gunroom, had honed his skills back to where they were before his overworking of the muscles in his right arm had caused Doc to prescribe the exercise routine.

By Thursday afternoon the short vacation was over. The Garden City men were on trial and Matt's testimony was needed. He and Kitty reached the courtroom as the Garden City Deputy Sheriff, Greg Windom, was finishing up on the stand. Since he was away during most of the events leading to the arrest of Gordon Price and his two gunmen, Sheriff Will Johnston stayed back in his town to keep it safe. Then it was Matt's turn.

"Marshal Dillon," Derrick Walker began. "You were in Garden City when the three men on trial here were there. Is that correct? If it is, why were you in that particular town then?"

"I was there because of a report I wrote for my superiors in Washington, the governor and Kansas Attorney General. They had me looking into a series of takeovers throughout the state and in Colorado and set up a false identity for me so I could investigate them and maybe infiltrate the organization to find out who was behind it. I reckoned Garden City was the next likely spot. I took the train there as Matt Kimbro, a shady rancher from a small town some 50 miles to the east. Turned out my hunch was right."

Under further questioning Matt described his meetings with Deputy Windom, the false identity and how what Price had to say confirmed his suspicions. He also spoke of how that false identity gave him the edge he needed for Price to have enough confidence in him to describe the operation and make him an offer.

"As I understand what you're saying, your investigations confirmed a suspicion that these takeovers were somehow connected and were carried out for a higher purpose," Walker stated for the jury's benefit. "Marshal, would you please explain the reasoning that allowed you to reach that conclusion before I ask you about the specifics you learned in Garden City that confirmed you were correct."

"Each time there were three men, strangers in town, two apparent drifters and one gambler businessman who pressured the saloon owner into selling at least a controlling interest to the gambler businessman. It was always in the county seat and always the best saloon in town where the leading citizens went to relax. Within two weeks the town council passed new ordinances that favored the new owner enabling him to gain control of more businesses and to force an election making him the top man in town with his supporters in all the key positions, including the state legislature. These takeovers followed a geographical pattern that moved eastward in Colorado and westward in Kansas."

"Judge, I'd like to introduce Marshal Dillon's initial report prior to his departure for Garden City as People's Exhibit H. Now, Marshal, would you please inform the court as to how you gained their confidence, the details provided by them and identify the men involved in Garden City," the DA added as soon as Matt's report was officially entered into evidence.

"Deputy Windom made it known that he suspected I might not operate entirely within the law while I joined Gordon Price, the man in the center at the defense table, at his table to share a bottle. Greg Atkins, the man on my left at the table watched from the bar while Harley Brice, the remaining man, searched my room. His return led to a fight I won despite it being three against one and to my arrest during which the deputy confirmed my cover. By then Price had given me an outline of the operation, implying Kansas men were sent to Colorado and Colorado men to Kansas."

Matt then described how the man given the task of becoming the new owner was supplied with as many gunmen as he thought necessary for the task and had full authority to determine how the takeover was to proceed. However, full details of his assignment and how the men were selected would come after Price's superior completed a more detailed check into Matt's life in and around the Kansas/Nebraska border town of Imperial. Meanwhile he was to wait in Dodge City before officially being assigned to Pueblo. His testimony before the defense cross examination ended with him taking the train home and watching the arrest of the three on trial through the window as it pulled out of the station.

"Marshal Dillon, if you want to take a break before we continue I'll understand. After all, you are recovering from the bullet wounds you sustained while traveling to Denver from Dodge City. However, since you're willing to continue," the defense attorney added when Matt nodded his agreement, "I have a few questions for you. Since your release from the hospital, where Miss Russell stayed until your release, both of you have been guests of our distinguished district attorney and his family, which includes the chief investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Lionel Walker. You and your lovely Dodge City companion were seen taking in the sites of Denver with the detective, his colleagues and his mother and sister. Is this not correct?"

"Objection! I fail to see the relevance of this line of questioning. Yes, Marshal Dillon and the lovely Miss Russell have been in my home under protective custody and while there my family has shown the hospitality due to them through common courtesy. My son's colleagues were carrying out the continued need for protection until both of them have completed their testimony. There are three more trials requiring that testimony."

"Your Honor, I mean no impunity toward my colleague, but it has given Mr. Dillon ample time to rehearse his responses with the district attorney and his son and thus make it appear he remembers what occurred before he was shot with one of those bullets being to his head."

"I will allow the question to stand if Mr. Dillon is willing. Do you feel you can adequately respond?"

"Yes, Judge. We did go over my testimony just so Mr. Walker knew what I could remember and wouldn't be surprised by my responses. He also posed questions he thought the defense might ask. I had no access to my report. In over 20 years as a lawman such conduct has been the normal way of doing things."

"I have no further questions. The witness may step down."


	12. Chapter 12 - Many Trials Down

**Chapter 12 – Many Trials Down, Three to Go**

Friday morning the defense called the defendants to the stand and the one or two Garden City citizens who actually benefited from their efforts. The verdict was reached an hour after the jurors finished their dinner. It wouldn't have taken that long except they wanted time to digest what they'd eaten before filing back to the courtroom and their normal lives.

The remaining three trials were scheduled for the following week. The attempted takeover of the Long Branch was scheduled to begin bright and early Monday morning. Now that the schedule was known, Deputy Marshal Festus Haggen would arrive on tomorrow's train according to Doc's wire. Matt had told him before he and Kitty left that he should remain in Dodge to look after the town until he heard from DA Walker that his testimony was needed. Matt and Kitty wanted to meet him upon his arrival by train, but neither Walker felt it would be wise. The defense might claim witness tampering whether or not they came to the station to meet him with the Walkers. It was bad enough that the two chief witnesses were living in the home of the District Attorney and his police detective son. The other reason was to not draw undue attention to the deputy's arrival, although he would be met by at least two officers of the court who would escort him to his hotel. Besides, if Matt and Kitty arrived to greet their friend without the protection offered by the District Attorney's office through the Denver Police, the odds were another attempt might be made on their lives.

Instead, they continued with their sightseeing, accompanied by the entire Walker family and two burly Denver policemen who had been assigned as protection. The group remained together until after they ate dinner at one of the city's best restaurants. They had a table in the far corner near the wall where Lionel and Matt could watch the door. The two policemen occupied the table next to them while a couple of maiden ladies sat at the table in front of them. The meal was completed without any sort of interruption, pleasant or unpleasant.

District Attorney Walker bid his family and new friends goodbye and went from his office with an armed investigator, who came by just as they were arriving, to meet the train from Dodge City carrying Festus Haggen. The station was only a few blocks away. Derrick Walker and his associates would soon have Matt's deputy settled into a hotel room near the courthouse and ready to give his testimony. The rest of the party continued showing off Denver to the visitors from Kansas.

Although Matt and Kitty wanted to spend time alone in the city with each other, both Walker men convinced the two Dodge City residents that accompanying the Walker family to church would be much safer. Now that the most important of the trials was to begin the next day, DA Walker had no intention of allowing another attempt on the life of his star witness and nobody would attempt an assassination in church.

Matt, to accommodate his long legs planned to sit on the aisle. He watched as Kitty seated herself and was about to sit down next to her when the hairs on the back of his neck brought a warning. Despite the fact they were in a church he'd worn his gun belt out of habit, but it was hidden under his Sunday coat. He spun and reached for his pistol just as a couple of shots rang out. His sudden movement caused them to be off their mark, but they wouldn't have hit him at all had the holster been free of his jacket and his right arm been entirely healthy. Even so, his own shots, fired in rapid succession, hit their marks, killing his would be assassins instantly.

He began to turn toward the front of the church to apologize to the pastor for the gunplay but collapsed to the floor instead. Kitty was immediately at his side, as was Dr. Hickman. It seemed Wesley Hickman and his family attended the same church. The surgeon indicated to Lionel and his father Derrick that the semi-conscious Matt needed to be moved back to the hospital so he could better assess the nature of the wounds. Those directly concerned departed as quickly and quietly as they could, but even so the service was totally disrupted.

"Is he gonna be all right, Doctor?" Kitty asked as soon as Matt was on an examination table in the hospital's emergency room. "Please tell me he'll make it!"

"Both bullets hit him in the left shoulder. He'll have to keep his arm in a sling. He's a mighty lucky man."

"Dr. Hickman, do I need to ask for a postponement of the remaining trials? Mr. Dillon's scheduled to testify tomorrow."

"I'll complete the necessary surgery in less than an hour. The operating room will be no problem because one is almost always held open in case of an emergency. Also, I believe my favorite surgical nurse is on call today. She lives just down the street and checks on whether she's needed every couple of hours. If I'm not mistaken, here she comes now. I'd like to keep him overnight just to be sure, but with his constitution and the absence of any broken bones, I feel the odds are he'll be ready for court at some point tomorrow."

Just then Matt regained consciousness and let those around him know it by adding, "Glad to hear I'll live. I want to see the look on their faces when I show up in court tomorrow morning."

Although the surgery went well and Matt was awake and hungry two hours later, Dr. Hickman insisted on him remaining in a hospital room. Both Walkers agreed and cooked up a scheme with Kitty. The would-be bushwhackers couldn't talk, so why not let the conspirators think they'd succeeded. The guard would be placed outside the room to protect Miss Russell, who was mourning the almost certain demise of her dearest friend and companion who, given the circumstances, was allowed to remain in a hospital room while awaiting his final breath.

The next morning a fully clothed Matt, his left arm in a sling in deference to the shoulder wound, was snuck out of the hospital under a sheet to a waiting hearse with Kitty at his side with a police wagon in front of and behind it. They drove to a funeral home that was conveniently located across the alley from the courthouse's back entrance, by coincidence the same entrance used to bring prisoners to their trials. While all this was going on, Festus was escorted from his nearby hotel through the front door. The three Dodge City residents met as they came into the courtroom from opposite directions.

"Miss Kitty, Matthew, Mr. Walker," Festus said nodding to each. "I reckon I'm as ready as I'll ever be to tell what those varmints done. They was purely fools ta thank I own the Long Branch. It reminds me when cousin Hootie of the Texas Haggens was mistook fer… Matthew, what happened to your wing?"

"Since it took you this long to notice, I might not tell you, but since you're a Haggen I'd better. I was shot in church yesterday."

The whole story was finally told and they took their seats as the courtroom began to fill up. Once everyone was in place and the trial called to order, Derrick Walker told the jury what he intended to show. Festus was the first witness, but before he could take the stand, the defense attorney, Bertram Langtry, raised an objection to the trial being held in Denver rather than Dodge City where the alleged crime occurred. Derrick Walker countered that if Mr. Langtry wished to object to the change of venue he should have done that during the trial of the men whose crime took place in Garden City and that it was the defense that had insisted on separate trials for the allegedly interconnected series of crimes in both Kansas and Colorado. The defense motion was denied.

Festus took the stand. He told how the three men on trial, Milt Wiltsher and his two hired guns, Troy Briggs and Holden Warren, told him he had to transfer ownership or he'd find himself without any means of continuing in business and harm coming to his employees, especially the pretty redhead who pretended to be the owner despite his insistence that Miss Kitty was the owner.

Considering the testimony was coming from Festus Haggen, the telling was as simple as Haggen hyperbole allowed. The defense soon took over in an attempt to make Festus appear to be the fool instead of them.

"Mr. Haggen, I now realize that my clients were mistaken in thinking you were the owner of that fine Dodge City establishment, the Long Branch Saloon. However, is it true that when he's called out of town Marshal Dillon leaves you in charge?"

"Course it's true, ya nitwit. I'm Matthew's deputy. Ifn' it ain't Newly, it's me. Fact is, now that Newly's spendin' more time learnin' doctorin' it's me."

"I take from what you just told the court, you're a man with responsibility, a man in whom your boss puts a great deal of trust. He feels you're someone who can look after all his interests. Am I correct?"

"Yeah. I reckon that's true. He ain't fired me yet."

"A quaint way to put it, I'm sure. Just a few more questions, Mr. Haggen and you can step down unless Mr. Walker has some more he'd like to ask. Have you ever run a business since you've become a more or less permanent Dodge City resident?"

"Yep, I done run a freight business fer a bit a couple a times. I cain't see what it's got to do with what we're jawin' about here though."

"Did you receive money and/or advice from Miss Russell and your employer, Marshal Dillon? I doubt I'm assuming too much when I surmise they have more experience and education than you in such matters as well as greater financial resources."

"I don't git yer meanin'. Yeah, my friends done give me advice. That's what friends are fer, ain't they?"

"Objection, before Mr. Haggen continues with his responses to this line of questioning, I request a ruling on its relevance. I fail to see how it matters if Mr. Haggen has prior business experience and who advised him as to the proper running of that business or, as implied, provided capital."

"Your honor, I wish to establish that there is a precedence within Dodge City for one person to act as a figurehead while another is the real owner, making it more difficult for a prospective buyer to know whom to contact as the relevant parties."

"Mr. Langtry, while your argument might have merit were this trial a civil one to determine the rightful owners of a business establishment, it has no significance in a criminal trial involving an alleged fraudulent and coercive takeover attempt. Objection sustained."

Langtry had no choice but to wait for the District Attorney to call his next witness, Kitty Russell. Kitty took the stand and told of threats made to herself of bodily harm that no woman would allow if she had any way to prevent it and threats made to the drummers she dealt with the most to stop dealing with the present ownership until the saloon had changed hands. Since they were mostly friends as well as business associates who appreciated how fairly and courteously she dealt with them, a few of them had told her of the financial and even physical pressure they were subjected to. This corroborated the testimony of one of those very drummers who happened to be in Denver and was the first to testify that morning.

The defense had tried to portray his testimony as that of an overly timid salesman who exaggerated the hard sell tactics used by the defendants, but Kitty's subsequent responses destroyed any chance of that ploy being successful with the jury. Langtry then tried a new tact.

"Miss Russell, and I'm right that it is miss, as a saloon hostess isn't it normal for you to expect overly, shall I say, amorous behavior from your customers? Can you deny drinks in your establishment are served by scantily clad, pretty, young women who are taught to flirt to encourage opening the gentlemen's pockets? I assume that you also are suggestively friendly or you would not be quite so successful. I am correct, am I not?"

"Yes, I'm single, the girls I employ are friendly toward the customers to encourage them to buy drinks as am I. However, the Long Branch is not like those tawdry saloons you're referring to where the ownership actively encourages additional services to help swell the coffers. By contrast, while I don't interfere if one of my girls feels she must supplement the more than adequate pay I provide along with the tips they receive for their prompt and friendly service by providing those additional services, I don't allow customers to stretch the boundaries each girl sets. If I, or my bartenders, hear a protest or see a man overstepping the bounds by being aggressively rough, I'll have him tossed out on his ear. Like with drunks who get out of hand, if he proves too unruly, the marshal or one of his deputies will handle the situation. As for me, I actively discourage any notion that I might be available, starting with not sitting down for a drink with a new customer until he's proven himself to be a true gentleman only interested in a friendly chat while drinking. I don't allow him to even think there might be anything more."

Langtry gave up. It was obvious Kitty had a counter response to everything he tried to imply that might show the aggressive actions of his clients were acceptable to her from anyone. He had, however, established that certain regular customers were allowed physical contact with the pretty redhead and the next witness was one of them.

Matt Dillon was duly sworn in and sat down in the witness chair to answer the questions put to him. The first asked him to describe the scene he beheld in the Long Branch that led to the arrest of the three men on trial.

"I came in the back way after leaving my prisoner to my deputy so I could see for myself what more might be happening that Festus hadn't told me. I used the back stairs to reach the second floor and then started down the front stairs into the main part of the saloon, keeping to the shadows so I wouldn't be seen but could see and hear everything going on below me. The three on trial were with Kitty, Miss Russell. I waited until they put their threats of molestation into action before I made my move. Then I placed them under arrest. My deputy Newly O'Brian and I escorted them to my jail. They remained there until the Denver authorities came to get them."

Langtry began his cross-examination of the US Marshal for Kansas headquartered in Dodge City slowly. He asked about how long he'd been a marshal and whom he considered his closest associates.

"I don't dispute that you're highly respected in your profession, which we've already established goes well beyond the 20 years you've been operating out of Dodge City. However, I do believe your judgment might lapse when it comes to Miss Russell and certain aspects of her business. Isn't it possible that you misinterpreted what you heard and the subsequent actions of my clients Wiltsher, Briggs and Warren?"

"Nope. Mr. Langtry, I've gained my reputation and stayed alive as long as I have because I don't misinterpret, as you put it, situations like the one that led to your clients arrest."

"Marshal Dillon, let me rephrase my question so that even an obtuse cow town marshal besotted with the beauty of the saloon hostess he allowed to be in charge of the male entertainment emporium known as the Long Branch Saloon can understand it. Couldn't Miss Russell have been discussing and following through on arrangements that are not only not unheard of, but quite often part of the normal run of business?"

"First off, Kitty Russell is the sole owner of the Long Branch so I reckon I'll just have to set the jury straight on that point. What I allow or don't allow has no bearing on her running the place as she sees fit so long as she remains within the law while doing it. As to your second question, I've already answered it, but since you can't seem to understand what I said, I'll rephrase it. Since before she bought into her place of business Kitty has stayed away from that aspect, as you call it, and doesn't even require it of her girls. Your clients' words and actions were unwanted and therefore illegal especially when coupled with the other forms of coercion they employed to try to get her to sell. That sir is what I meant when I told you I didn't misinterpret the situation."

"I see Marshal that I'm not getting anywhere with a more circumspect approach. Isn't it true that you enjoy Miss Russell's physical favors on a regular basis? Wasn't this proven as fact by your living arrangements since your arrival in Denver beginning with the very first day? Remember, you're under oath."

"The exact nature of my relationship with Miss Russell is no business of this court nor are our living arrangements during the time I wasn't confined to a hospital room. I believe Detective Walker already explained the security reasons behind that."

"Despite your experience, you are paid to enforce, not interpret the law and all its nuances. That's what the proceedings here are for. I maintain that you are being deliberately unresponsive to my line of questioning."

"Objection, Mr. Langtry is badgering the witness," DA Walker interjected. "His question, no matter how often he poses it, has been asked and answered. Marshal Dillon and Miss Russell's private lives are just that, private."

"Objection sustained. If you have nothing further to ask this witness, Mr. Langtry, I suggest you move on."

Langtry had nothing more so Matt was finally excused. When court reconvened after a dinner break, the defense presented what case they had. By three the jury was deliberating upon the evidence. They returned with a guilty verdict within an hour.


	13. Chapter 13 - Conspiracy Unraveled

**Chapter 13 - Conspiracy Unraveled**

Tuesday morning the trial of Travis Michaels began. Although the alleged crime was committed in Dodge City, Kansas the would-be victim, a federal officer, was already in Denver to give testimony in other trials and the prosecution hoped to show that the attempted murder was caused by events in both Kansas and Colorado, thus making it a federal crime. With that initial defense petition for a change of venue denied, the prosecution was allowed to open its case and call its first of three witnesses US Deputy Marshal Festus Haggen.

Festus' testimony was short. Since all he did was enter the jailhouse after Matt had locked up Michaels for allegedly firing a pistol at his boss with deadly intent, he quickly told of taking over keeping an eye on the defendant while the marshal left to take care of personal business. The defense, in the guise of Bertram Langtry, tried to give the impression that the deputy couldn't be sure his client had, in fact, attempted any crime whatsoever, let alone murder of a United States Marshal.

The next witness was the previously convicted Gordon Price. Derrick Walker had purposely made sure Matt Dillon wasn't in the room during Price's testimony and made sure the jury had access to People's Exhibits A and B, Matt's report of what occurred in Garden City (along with the transcript of the associated trial) and his report of what occurred on the train from Garden City to Dodge to the moment of Michaels' arrest.

"Mr. Price, the jury has by this time had a chance to read what led to your conviction for conspiracy and fraud due to your actions in Garden City, Kansas and the report of my next witness. Are you prepared to give further details of the crimes for which you were convicted and any additional crimes for which you've been granted immunity in exchange for your testimony? If so, please begin by telling this court your part in the events that ended with the arrest of the man on trial here."

"I was just finishing up acquiring the property in Garden City as a first step in taking control of that town when I met Matt Kimbro, the man I now know to be Matt Dillon. I'd worked my way up the chain by being careful to put reliable men in charge of smaller towns in Kansas and even some places as large as Wichita. My preliminary check on the man's story seemed to indicate that he was a prime addition to our operations and that if further checking on him proved out he'd be an exemplary addition to our group. Still, I wanted to be sure I wasn't making a mistake. Pueblo was a major piece of the plan and was the town where my superior was headquartered, a man with direct contact with the big boss, so I wired him asking for a closer look at the man and included a physical description. Web Rawlins sent Travis Michaels, the man on trial, to Hoagman County to check Kimbro's story in his home territory. By the time I found out Kimbro only existed for a short time and mostly by reputation and rumor, it was too late, Deputy Windom had arrested me and my men and Matt Dillon was on the train heading home to Dodge City. The only satisfaction I got was that Michaels was on the train with him."

The defense tried to show that perhaps Price was mistaken that his client was the man he'd sent to Pueblo for or that maybe the man he thought he contacted in Pueblo to send an investigator didn't really exist and was part of an attempt to get a lighter sentence. However, Price stuck by his testimony saying that the defendant managed to relay his information on the true identity of Matt Kimbro just before dawn on the day of his arrest by the deputy.

The shackled Price was being led away by an officer of the court when Matt and Kitty entered the courtroom. Festus had managed to save them a couple of seats near the front in the rows reserved for witnesses. Matt took an aisle seat, but had barely sat down when the bailiff called his name. He stood and walked to the witness chair to be duly sworn in. Then he began his tale of his trip home and what occurred upon his arrival.

"At first I was gonna act like I was going to Hoagman County and then double back home, but since Price and his two men were already arrested by Greg Windom, I reckoned I could ride the train directly there. Taking no chances, I kept eying the other passengers to see if anyone was taking a particular interest in me. There were several possibilities, but nobody did anything that warranted my taking immediate action, so when we reached Dodge, I grabbed my carpetbag, put my badge back on and walked to my office. Just as a precaution, I kept my gun belt on and my Colt ready. I'd just finished washing the dust off when Travis Michaels, the defendant, burst through the door and fired a derringer at me. I was fast enough that my shot winged him in the right shoulder just as he fired at me sending his shot into the floor."

At this point DA Walker interrupted Matt's testimony to introduce the derringer and the bullet dug out of the floor in the Dodge City Marshal's office into evidence. He then indicated Matt should continue.

"I pulled Michaels to his feet and while I locked him up, he told me what he thought of me at first. Then he told how he learned I wasn't a big man set on getting what he could but a big man set on enforcing the law. He never told me who he worked for or where he fit into the whole scheme. I had to work that out for myself. Once he tried to kill me, I knew the gang would never accept me as one of them."

Langtry then stood up from his chair and walked around the defense table. He strode confidently up to where Matt, his shoulder still in a sling thanks to Sunday's shooting, to ask his questions.

"Marshal Dillon, only you and my client were in your office when you allege he shot at you & you shot him in self-defense. I submit, it's your word against his and you have just admitted that you were taking part in a ruse to infiltrate a self-described conspiracy to illegally obtain political and economic power in Kansas and Colorado. Can you deny that?"

"I certainly can't deny the ruse, as you call it. I call it doing my job. I was given a false identity so I could infiltrate the gang behind the conspiracy, and you're the one who called it that. The new identity was arranged by the Kansas Governor and Attorney General, but it was with the full knowledge of the Governor of Colorado and the Denver District Attorney at the behest of the United States Attorney General, who, I don't need to remind you, is my boss, although there's a bunch of bureaucrats to go through before you reach him. As to my word, it's held in pretty high regard."

Langtry realized Matt Dillon, the man he thought was nothing more than a cow town marshal with delusions of grandeur because he'd gained a reputation with a gun and happened to hold the title of United States Marshal in addition to City Marshal, although few people knew about the latter title, was even more than his legend. Further questioning would only undermine the ever shrinking chance he had of convincing the jury that there was a shred of doubt about his client's guilt. Therefore, he called a halt to further questions of the Marshal of Dodge in favor of calling the defense witnesses.

The morning was over by this time so the judge called for a recess until after everyone had a chance to relax over dinner. When court reconvened at two Langtry called the first of the character witnesses Rawlins had supplied for Michaels. The three men were allowed to tell their stories & then cross-examined by DA Walker in quick succession. His final witness, Michaels then told his story, claiming he had merely been traveling for business on the same train as Marshal Matt Dillon and for some reason when he detrained at the Dodge City station, the lawman decided he was out to get him, ending with his imprisonment in the Dodge City jail.

Although it was nearly eight by the time Matt, Kitty and Festus joined the Walker family for supper, the jury hadn't taken unduly long to deliberate and reach a verdict – guilty of attempted murder. The next morning Festus would take the train home and Matt would testify at the remaining trial. It would be at the trial of Web Rawlins and the so far unmentioned Dean Littlefield that Matt's testimony would be crucial for unraveling the fabric of the conspiracy.

As it turned out, the preliminary testimony from Lance Bodkin of Imperial, Kansas, who as mayor and proprietor of the Hoagman County Land Office had provided Matt Dillon with his bogus identity as Matt Kimbro, took up the entire morning. Then those who'd dealt with the two men on trial in Colorado testified. That took up the afternoon. Matt and Kitty returned to the Walker home for the evening. Again, several police guards accompanied them just as they had since the first attempt on his life almost a month ago when they first arrived in Denver at the end of July. Home and the life they shared in Dodge seemed very far away.


	14. Chapter 14 - Trials Will Soon Be Over

**Chapter 14 – The Trials Will Soon Be Over**

Matt Dillon and Kitty Russell came down the stairs from their adjoining guestrooms and joined the Walker family for breakfast. Everyone was unnaturally quiet as if each person at the table was afraid talking about what had brought the two of them to this family's Denver home would only bring more tribulations. Matt still hadn't testified in the most important of the series of trials, so another attempt on his life was probable.

As a precaution, the group that had shared the breakfast table split into two. The Walker women and District Attorney Derrick Walker proceeded to the courthouse in the family carriage while Matt, Kitty and Detective Sargent Lionel Walker rode to the same building in a police carriage via a different route. Each vehicle contained a fourth passenger, an armed detective. While the police officers stationed outside the house didn't follow either carriage, there were enough of Denver's law officers stationed along both routes in both uniform and plain clothes that there was no need to draw attention to which carriage carried Matt Dillon despite the fact Lionel was sure the house was watched and they could see it for themselves.

The Walker carriage arrived at the courthouse without incident, allowing the DA to seat his wife and daughter just behind the seats saved for the witnesses and their closest associates while he had plenty of time to prepare for the next phase of the prosecution's case. When the men on trial and their attorney arrived along with all the court officers without any sign of his son Lionel and the primary witness, Derrick began to worry. Then the judge entered, called the trial to order and asked the prosecution to proceed. Despite his concern, all the man could do was stall.

Ten minutes later the witness finally arrived, looking quite disheveled. His two companions were in a similar state. The reason for his unkempt appearance and those of his companions would be among his first questions. First, however, the witness had to be sworn in and the preliminary questions taken care of. Matt Dillon identified himself as the United States Marshal for Kansas headquartered in Dodge City and further stated that he was testifying as a result of an undercover operation he was ordered to undertake by the United States Attorney General after a simultaneous request for his services from the Kansas Attorney General and Governor and Colorado's Governor with the full knowledge of the Denver District Attorney. Before receiving his direct order to cooperate, the Dodge Marshal was directly contacted by the two Kansas officials in a joint telegram.

"Marshal Dillon, perhaps before you begin the meat of your testimony, you'd be kind enough to explain the lateness of your arrival and your appearance. I know that you left for this courtroom appropriately attired and groomed and with ample time to arrive before these proceedings began. What exactly transpired?"

"I and my three traveling companions were halfway here when we came upon a roadblock. There were a number of horses and wagons in our path and when our driver tried to move around them, three of those involved in blocking the way grabbed the harness to stop our forward movement. At the same time several shots rang out and we were pulled from the coach. I'm afraid during the fight the detective with us was shot. Miss Russell was thrown to the ground and nearly trampled before she could seek shelter under our carriage while Lionel Walker and I fought off our attackers. Finally, other police officers were able to reach the scene and after questioning us, we were able to continue on our way."

"I'm sorry to hear of the officer's demise, but glad that the rest of you came through your ordeal relatively unscathed. Are you ready to give your testimony or would you prefer I ask for a recess to allow you to collect yourself after yet another attempt on your life?"

"I'm ready to tell what I know. This isn't the first attempt on my life and it won't be the last."

"In that case, Marshal, please tell the court how you became involved. As you relate your tale, don't neglect to enlighten the jury as to not only the conclusions you reached, but how you arrived at them."

Matt repeated for this new jury how and why he was asked to go undercover as Matt Kimbro to discover who was behind what seemed to be a conspiracy to gain political control over vast stretches of western Kansas and eastern Colorado. He told of Lance Bodkin the young mayor & land agent in Imperial confirming his assumed identity after he'd established a chain of communications with him while still in his hometown using his uncle, Harry Bodkin, president of the Dodge City Bank. While in Garden City Matt informed the young man of events in that town and, in turn, received notice of the attempts of the men there to reach other conspirators farther up the chain. He explained that's how he knew to expect someone might follow him on his train trip from Garden City back to Dodge, which, he informed the jury, ended with the attempt on his life made by the now convicted Trevor Michaels.

Matt continued his tale of the exchange of coded information he was able to follow with the valuable assistance of the two Bodkins, starting with learning the identity of Web Rawlins in Pueblo. A similar arrangement with Bill Pence in that town led to Dean Littlefield. Bill, Matt knew, had already testified at this trial and also at one of the trials that took place during the first week after his arrival in Denver, while he was regaining his powers of speech, involving only Colorado conspirators. Not knowing exactly what Bill had told the jury about how the now convicted men had tried to use the takeover of the Pueblo saloon Kitty's former partner owned in partnership with his wife Laura for 14 years, the lawman described what the couple he and Kitty had remained friends with had relayed to him. Matt then described how he put all this information together and came to the conclusions included in his report to his superiors in Washington, the Kansas Governor and State Attorney General and the Denver District Attorney that led to this trial.

Matt sat patiently while Bertram Langtry rose to again try to discredit the lawman's testimony. The defense attorney had a strange smile on his face as he began questioning the chief prosecution witness.

Marshal Dillon, I don't doubt you have a great deal of experience. How long have you been the chief peace officer in your quaint little town of Dodge City? Oh, don't answer that now," he interjected as Matt began to respond. "That can be dealt with while you're dealing with my more revealing question. In all those years of experience have your suspicions and conclusions ever proven to be erroneous? Remember while you reply that you are under oath," he continued without pausing for breath.

"I've been marshal in Dodge City just about 20 years and yes, there have been times I've been proved wrong. I've arrested the wrong man and much to my embarrassment have been played by those I thought had airtight alibis. However, I'd say I've been right about 95% of the time."

"I submit marshal, that in the case of my clients you are wrong. You've already admitted fallibility. Why should the jury believe beyond a reasonable doubt that you are correct in you assumptions and conclusions this time?"

"It's very simple, Langtry. I obtained Web Rawlins identity from Lance Bodkin before the now convicted Trevor Michaels tailed me on the train from Garden City to Dodge City where he tried to murder me in my office. Further checks of communications showed that Rawlins reports to Dean Littlefield. Furthermore, since beginning the trip to Denver to testify three more attempts have been made upon my life. Whether or not they've been arrested and tried or killed in action, all of them have been tied to Littlefield's organization, even the ones from today's attempt. They were already known to the Denver police and were being watched and their backgrounds and associations checked."

Langtry made one further attempt to show the connections were circumstantial and/or coincidental. The looks on the jurors' faces told him he wasn't convincing them this was their likely conclusion.

After Matt was dismissed from the witness stand Derrick Walker announced he had no further witnesses. Langtry began to call his defense witnesses. None could directly refute the testimony of the prosecution witnesses. Most could only cast doubt on whether or not it was within their character and abilities to launch such a scheme while trying not to undermine the business acumen of the two men on trial. Within three hours of the defense resting its case, the jury found Rawlins and Littlefield guilty of all counts against them and they were directed to return the saloons that had been forcibly sold to their rightful owners along with whatever money and profit they'd obtained thereby. All the people who began their day at the Walker home over breakfast returned there for a late supper to celebrate another victory for justice under the law.


	15. Chapter 15 - Homeward Bound at Last

**Chapter 15 – Homeward Bound at Last**

Matt Dillon and Kitty Russell were anxious to get on an eastbound train that would bring them home. The night before they'd made their excuses as soon as possible and headed for their adjoining bedrooms. They met in the bathroom that connected the two for a relaxing soak in the big tub the Walkers provided for the use of their guests. There was even a small heater so they could have hot water right from the tap, along with a corresponding cold-water tap, that brought water directly into the tub. Perhaps Dodge City and surrounding Ford County would soon have indoor plumbing for more than just the kitchen pump. Their bath over, the couple chose his room, since the night before it had been hers, to spend the remainder of the night. Maybe they'd even sleep in.

When they finally made their appearance downstairs only Madelyn and Gwen Walker were still at home, but there were still signs of breakfast on the table. Matt was at a loss as to what to say to Mrs. Walker while Gwen gushed about the young men who were courting her to Kitty. Seeing his embarrassment, Madelyn hushed her daughter and turned the conversation to more general topics including Lionel's hopes for finding his own place within the law that both Walker men and Matt found was at the core of their being while her soon to be departing guests ate their meal.

The three women decided on one more sightseeing excursion for five people that would begin as soon as Lionel returned home. His superior had granted him the afternoon and evening off now that all his duties connected with the now completed trials were ended. They set off as soon as the young man arrived, but not before he handed Matt a note from Dr. Wesley Hickman. The doctor wanted to see Matt one more time before the tall marshal left for home.

The three Walkers dropped Matt and Kitty off at Doctor Hickman's office while they left to arrange a table for supper at one of Denver's finest restaurants and for tickets to a play being performed that evening. Dr. Hickman's nurse immediately asked Matt to follow her into the examination room. Kitty found a magazine to read while waiting. The doctor checked Matt over, listening to his heart and lungs, checking how the most recent bullet wound was healing as well as examining the two earlier wounds. Then, much to Matt's surprise, he questioned the lawman about various events in his past and then asked him to read a paragraph from a medical text he had on hand. Finally, he requested he perform a series of movements with his right hand and fingers.

"You can get dressed now Mr. Dillon. When you return to my reception area, would you please ask Miss Russell to come in here? I want to give her leg a final once over."

Matt did as he was told. He sat down to wait, but couldn't stop fidgeting while he waited for Kitty to return. Finally, he told the nurse he'd be back directly and went out to purchase their train tickets on tomorrow's eastbound noon train.

"No need to lift your skirts or remove your stocking. Your leg was healed before Mr. Dillon was discharged from the hospital the first time. I simply wanted to talk to you to make sure the marshal's personal physician is aware of the serious trauma he's experienced. I also suspect he's not one to check in with your local doctor unless someone like yourself insists upon it. Please take this envelope with my medical observations and give them to his doctor when you arrive home. I'm assuming you both see the same man."

"We do Doctor. Dodge is a small town so everyone depends upon our one doctor. Not only is he the town doctor, he's a close personal friend to both of us. Between us, we'll make sure Matt follows through on whatever you've included in your report, starting with Doc checking him over as soon as we get back in town. Fact is we could use a second one and hope that Matt's part-time deputy will soon be fully qualified to fulfill that role. I'll be happy to give this to Doc."

The rest of the day was filled with enjoyment and getting to know their new friends better, including Derrick Walker, who joined them at the restaurant. Best of all, there were no attempts on anyone's life. Therefore, the Dodge City visitors were almost reluctant to say their goodbyes as they boarded the train for home. Once on board, Matt led Kitty to a particular passenger car, the one that formed the exact middle of the train and then to the middle of the car where two seats were arranged so that whoever sat down could face the folks sitting opposite them. One of those seats, the one facing back towards Denver was already occupied.

"Matt, what are you doing? I don't want to face a couple of strangers and be forced to make small talk with them. Let's sit somewhere else so I can have you all to myself."

"I don't believe you'll have any problems talking to these folks. Just call it a hunch."

Is that a fact, Cowboy? How can you be so sure?"

"That's a fact," he replied quietly as they reached the open seat. "I believe you already had a conversation with them in the courthouse."

Kitty's puzzled expression transformed into a huge smile as she took her seat by the window and realized the woman opposite her was none other than Laura Pence, who was seated next to her husband Bill. She gave Matt's arm a discrete squeeze when they explained how he'd met them at the ticket counter and arranged the surprise for her. The two couples caught up on all that had happened since the Pences left Dodge City for Pueblo over 15 years ago. Marriage brought a thriving saloon, a house and a son and daughter, now 11 and 13, who were back home with their grandmother. Once the kids were born the couple had sent for Laura's widowed mother back in Philadelphia.

The four old friends chatted amiably through the first third of the 375-mile trip as their train sped ever eastward on its 24-hour journey to Dodge City. Since they would arrive in Pueblo by 8 PM, the four friends took advantage of the newly added dining car on the now famous snow train for an early supper at the 6:30 seating. By the time they finished a leisurely meal and returned to their seats, there was just enough time for Bill and Laura to collect their carpetbags from the overhead bin before the train pulled to a stop. Matt and Kitty watched as their old friends collected Laura's trunk from the baggage car and exited the station, their arms around each other's waists.

Before any new passenger could take the seat that had held their friends, Matt moved the seatback so that seat also faced front. Now it was just the two of them, just as Kitty wanted. He took his seat and leaned toward her just as the train began to gather speed for the next leg of the trip and not so accidently fell against her, placing his left arm around her and drawing her face toward his for a not so quick kiss. The train moved steadily toward the next major stop, across the Kansas border, at Garden City during the early morning hours. However, after the summer night had fallen, Matt stood and moved into the aisle, reaching up for their carpetbags in the overhead rack.

"Matt, what are you doing? We've got a long way to go before we reach Dodge."

"I need to stretch my legs or I won't be able to get up when we reach home. Care to join me on a stroll? I'm certain it would be no trouble for me to have one arm around my favorite gal and still carry these bags."

Kitty thought about what Dr. Hickman had told her the previous morning and the envelope for Doc folded in her reticule. She wondered if carrying both bags would put a strain on him and weighed it against the benefit of a walk through the train. Then there was the argument that would spoil the end of the trip if she insisted he leave the bags, although she couldn't fathom why he felt the need to take them and he refused to give her a reason. In her mind Matt wouldn't be so extravagant to purchase a sleeper on the return trip. She agreed to the stroll just as he outlined it, concluding that was the best course of action.

"We've walked far enough," he stated when they'd gone through two other passenger cars and the dining car into a car with closed compartments, stopping in front of one, setting the bags down and producing a key. "A private room for my honey," he added as he inserted the key and opened the door.

Out of habit, Matt opened the door all the way, lit the lamp just inside the door and scanned the interior before allowing Kitty to enter before him. The room contained an upper and lower berth, a small table for their carpetbags and a washstand with a mirror above it. As soon as Matt closed and locked the door behind them, he dropped the bags on the floor and drew Kitty into a full embrace and deepening kiss.

The lower berth was all they needed once they'd helped each other undress and prepare for the night. They slipped into the bed and continued to expand upon the aroused sensations that began with the passionate kiss when they first entered the Pullman sleeping accommodation. Their exertions on that bed and all they'd been through on the trip led to them sleeping through the stop in Garden City. Fact is, they barely made the last sitting for breakfast.

Again, despite having only recently abandoned the sling that limited movement of his injured left shoulder and his still healing right arm, Matt carried both carpetbags to the dining car and then to a seat in the front of the most forward of the passenger cars. In a couple of hours they would be home.

Kitty Russell noticed the transformation from Matt Dillon the man into Matt Dillon the lawman starting with returning the key to their sleeper as the train sped closer to Dodge City. He still wore his courting coat, but it was tucked behind the holster on his right hip. The badge, of course, was pinned over his heart and his demeanor became more alert yet less attentive to her. He'd worn the badge and gun belt on the trip to Denver and while in that city, except for when he was in the hospital or alone with her at the Walker's home, but he was more relaxed despite the attempts on his life. What might have been a nightmare had been a good vacation – just not quite how they'd planned it.


	16. Chapter 16 - Home Sweet Home

**Chapter 16 – Home Sweet Home**

Matt was already out of the seat before the train came to a full stop at the Dodge City depot. He grabbed the carpetbags and turned toward Kitty, who followed him into the aisle toward the nearby steps to exit from the car. He put the bags down at his feet just long enough to lift her down from the bottom step and set her on the ground. Then, with her arm in his, walked toward the baggage car to claim the two trunks, both of which were hers, although the second did contain a new suit she'd insisted he buy. Before they could reach the car, Doc, Festus and Newly greeted them.

Doc, knowing how much luggage his semi-adopted daughter the redheaded saloon owner tended to need on any trip, had arranged for a buckboard. Matt was anxious to find out what had been happening in his town during the month he was away, so while he, Festus and Newly walked back to the center of town so he could pump them, Doc drove Kitty and the luggage to the Long Branch.

"I've got something for you from Wes Hickman, a doctor we met while in Denver. He assured me you'd find it very interesting reading."

"Was he the doctor who treated Matt for the bullet in his shoulder? Before you ask how I know, Festus told me all about it, and I mean all. For the life of me, I don't know why that whiskered windbag claimed Matt was shot in church. Was that overgrown public servant of yours finding it too difficult to let the local police handle things without his help and so got himself shot?"

"That's not it, Curly; at least not this time. Festus wasn't exaggerating Haggen style. That sling was the end result of a second attempt on Matt's life. He wore his pistol into church or else the two who tried might have succeeded. The first time attempt was on the train just before we arrived in Denver and it was the worst. They shot me in the leg, but that didn't matter because Matt was shot twice, once in the side and once in the head. I thought I'd lost him even though he survived."

"Honey, you're not making any sense. Wait a minute, did it have something to do with the head wound?"

"It did. Here," she said handing him the report she carried with her since the final visit to the Denver doctor. "Just read what Dr. Hickman wrote. I'll make sure Matt comes to your office this afternoon. Meanwhile, pretend you don't know anything more than what Festus told you. Here come the boys. I don't want Matt to know I told you about what happened after the train pulled into Denver, not yet, anyway."

For the next hour the friends sat at their usual table in the back eating and drinking as Matt and Kitty told about the trial and the other things they did and that happened in Denver and on the trip back. Matt even admitted he'd been shot twice, once on the train and once in church, figuring Kitty had already told him, but gave no indication of the severity of the wounds from the shooting on the train. Finally, after an hour, Kitty excused herself, saying she was tired and needed to recover from the trip.

After Kitty headed upstairs, Doc fingered the envelope in his pocket Kitty had given him earlier and stood up to leave the saloon, as did the others. The three lawmen, two fulltime, and one part-time, turned toward the jailhouse while Doc crossed the alley to the stairs leading to his office.

Newly walked along toward the jail, but turned aside toward his gunsmith shop while the other two continued down Front Street until they reached their destination. Matt, after placing his hat on the peg by the door, checked his desk and groaned at the amount of paperwork on it. Newly had handled what he could, forming a small pile with notes on what he did on top, stacking it in a neat pile on the right-hand corner of the desk. It looked like there was still a mountain to raze. He removed his string tie, stuffing it in the pocket of his jacket, which he slipped over the back of his desk chair, hung his gun belt on the peg that held the keys to the cells and groaned, but set himself to the task. Two hours later Festus was long gone and the pile looked almost manageable. Hearing a noise, he looked up to see Kitty coming through the door.

"Cowboy, you look like you could use a break. I've got a bath and a clean set of clothes waiting for you back in my rooms. I told Doc we'd meet him in his office in an hour so the three of us could go get something to eat at Delmonico's."

"Kitty, that bath and supper sounds wonderful, but I've still got a mess of paperwork. I've already wasted an hour and I still have my report of the trials to complete while it's fresh in my mind."

"Matt Dillon, you're not gonna forget what happened on our trip because you take a break for a couple of hours. As for the rest of the paperwork, it's sat here this long, so a while longer won't make a difference. Besides, your mind will be clearer once you've had that bath, changed out of your dress clothes and had your first regular meal since we left Denver yesterday. There wasn't much left when we finally came to breakfast after the train left Garden City."

"Alright, you win. Let's go!" he said as he stood, grabbed his gun belt, put it on and snatched his hat as he escorted her out the door in the direction of her place of business.

As always, Kitty was right. The bath and what followed in her rooms refreshed and energized him. If truth be told, they were enjoying themselves so much that they nearly forgot they had to meet Doc in his office. When they finally got there, Matt was surprised that instead of pushing him toward the door, the crafty old physician and the red-haired woman who'd ushered him up the stairs to that office pushed him toward the examination table. He put up some resistance at first but soon realized that the sooner he cooperated, the sooner they'd get something to eat. Suddenly he was famished.

"Matt, I've got to check and see how good a job this Dr. Hickman did for myself. I can't go by the report he sent alone. And, before you ask, I've already examined Kitty's leg. She's completely healed. Now, Mr. Marshal, take your hat and shirt off so I can check you over."

Doc listened to Matt's chest, looked at the healing scar that was the wound in his side and the fresher scar on his shoulder. Then he gently parted Matt's hair with his fingers so he could see the path the bullet had taken as it grazed his skull. Finally, the old doctor had Matt put his right arm and hand through a series of motions before handing him an article from a medical journal to read aloud. Matt passed all the tests.

"You don't seem to have any lingering effects from taking a bullet in your head, but I expected that. You're too hard headed for a mere bullet crease to do anything permanent. As to your arm, I'd say you've managed to restore it back to 90% of what it was before that bank robber's bullet did it's damage. Keep up the exercises and don't get into any more gunfights in the next month or so and you just might get back to where any loss of speed will be undetectable."

One evening, about a week later, Matt stopped by the Long Branch after his rounds for a promised nightcap up in Kitty's rooms. He found her sitting at their table by the stairs writing a letter to the Walker family.

"I thought it was about time to thank them for everything they did for us while we were in Denver. Is there anything you want to add?" she asked as he read through it.

"Nope, except my signature. I'll write a separate note to Lionel offering him a fulltime job replacing Newly. I think that Denver detective has a chance to be a good US Marshal with the right training."

Two weeks went by while Matt wondered what the young Denver policeman would say. Although he was far from ready to retire, he was at least thinking about how he might spend his time after giving up the badge and about that far off someday actually occurring when he'd ask Kitty the question she most wanted to hear from him. If Lionel Walker said no, he had no idea who he might train to take over for him. Newly would soon be a doctor and Festus, even if he could read and write, was older than him. He leaned back in his chair, put his feet up on his desk and picked up his mail. Flipping through it, Matt opened an envelope postmarked Denver and read through the short note. Lionel Walker would be in Dodge in August to see if he took to being a deputy US Marshal in a relatively smaller town.


End file.
